The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday, December 16, 2025, published the draft electoral roll for West Bengal as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. This marks the crucial second stage of the revision process, which is aimed at creating a purified and accurate voter list for the state.
What Happens After the Draft Roll Publication?
According to the schedule set by the Election Commission, the phase of claims, objections, and hearings will commence immediately. The hearings are scheduled to start on Wednesday, December 17, just a day after the draft roll's publication. This extensive verification process is expected to continue until February of the coming year, with the final electoral list slated for publication on February 14.
The SIR process was initiated on November 4 with an enumeration phase. During this initial stage, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) conducted door-to-door surveys to collect and distribute forms. The current phase focuses on scrutinizing the collected data, particularly for voters whose records require additional verification.
Who Will Face a Hearing and Why?
The primary focus of the hearings will be on voters categorized as "unmapped." An EC official explained that electors who are neither found in the baseline 2002 electoral roll nor have listed any blood relatives from that roll will be labelled as "unmapped." These individuals will receive a notice to appear for a hearing where they must provide documentary proof to establish their legitimacy as voters.
"All the forms will be analysed with our software, and the information provided by the electors will be studied. Based on that, it will be decided if that person will be called for the hearing or not," stated an official. Voters who are present in the 2002 list or have successfully linked themselves to a relative from that roll will not need to furnish additional documents during this phase.
However, the process has already flagged irregularities. Authorities have found instances where individuals in the current 2025 list, absent from the 2002 roll, claimed parents from the older list, but these parental names contradict the details in their 2025 records. A senior EC official noted, "Our experts have already analysed submissions with progeny mapping, during which we got many dubious results. These forms are now subject to verification."
Procedure for Hearings: Notices, Venues, and Timeline
Voters will not be able to identify if they are required for a hearing simply by checking the draft roll. The Election Commission will directly notify individuals by serving an auto-generated notice at their registered residence. The notice will specify the date, time, and venue for the hearing. The EC has clarified that names of such voters will not be specially marked in the draft list.
Hearing centres will be established at Block Development Offices (BDO) and Sub-Divisional Offices (SDO) within respective constituencies. Each constituency will have one Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) and ten Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) deputed for the hearings. A senior official indicated that if the number of hearings exceeds capacity, adjacent state government offices may be utilized.
To manage the anticipated volume, the EC has increased its daily hearing target. Initially set at 50 hearings per day, the target has been raised to at least 100 hearings daily to ensure all proceedings are completed by the February 7 deadline, paving the way for the final list in February.
This rigorous SIR exercise underscores the Election Commission's commitment to ensuring the integrity of the electoral roll in West Bengal, a state with significant political importance. Voters are advised to check the draft roll carefully and respond promptly to any official communication from the Commission.
