The Election Commission of India (ECI) has issued a stern warning that officers will be held accountable for any lapse detected in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across West Bengal. Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti conveyed this message during a series of review meetings held in Kolkata on Tuesday (November 18), according to an official statement.
Meetings with senior election officials
Bharti, accompanied by senior Election Commission officials, met with district election officers (DEOs) and electoral registration officers (EROs) from the key parliamentary constituencies of Kolkata Uttar, Kolkata Dakshin, and the districts of North and South 24 Parganas. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal also attended the review sessions to assess the ongoing revision work and compliance with Commission mandates.
Strict accountability stressed
During the discussions, Bharti reiterated the Commission’s zero-tolerance approach to administrative negligence in the SIR process. “The Deputy Election Commissioner underlined the EC's strict position during the meeting,” an official informed. Election officers from both Kolkata constituencies gave detailed presentations on the progress made so far, including the enumeration and digitisation of voter data.
Ground-level review and follow-up plans
Later in the day, Bharti conducted a separate review at Alipore, focusing on developments in the South 24 Parganas district. He is scheduled to continue the evaluation with officials from Nadia district on Wednesday (November 19) as part of a state-wide inspection plan to ensure accuracy and transparency in the voter list update.
Progress update: Nearly complete enumeration
According to official data available until 6 pm. Tuesday, a total of 7.63 crore enumeration forms have been distributed across West Bengal- achieving a remarkable 99.66 percent coverage. Out of these, 1.09 crore forms have already been digitised, representing 14.24 percent of the total forms processed.
The EC’s enhanced scrutiny aims to ensure that the final electoral rolls reflect an accurate and inclusive voter list ahead of upcoming elections, leaving no room for procedural lapses or irregularities.