EC directs districts to complete poll work within a week
The Statesman | 9 October 2025A high-level ECI team, led by deputy election commissioner Gyanesh Bharti, reached Kolkata yesterday to review the state’s poll preparedness. Other members included Seema Khanna, director general of the IT division, secretary SB Joshi, and deputy secretary Abhinav Agarwal.
Bharti, who held a virtual meeting with district election officers (DEOs) and district magistrates today morning, said that most SIR-related tasks must be finished by 15 October.
Sources in the CEO office said that the meeting reviewed the preparedness of each district in detail, assessing the progress made so far.
Bharti made it clear that delays or excuses after the formal notification of the SIR would not be tolerated.
“Districts were instructed to ensure that within four to five days of notification; at least 30 per cent of the printing of enumeration forms should be completed. Unlike Bihar, where forms were centrally printed, West Bengal districts have been asked to manage printing locally,” a senior official in the CEO office who was present in the meeting told The Statesman on condition of anonymity.
“Soft copies of voter forms will be sent from Delhi to Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), uploaded to the official portal, and then printed. These forms will be distributed to booth level officers (BLOs), who will conduct door-to-door delivery and collection,” the official said.
With an electorate of nearly 7.65 crore, the state will print double the number of forms — two per voter — with one retained by the voter and the other collected by the BLOs.
Bharti also cited Bihar’s experience, warning that any official found negligent in duty in Bengal would face strict action, just as disciplinary steps were taken against erring officers in Bihar.
Due to the ongoing flood and landslide crisis in north Bengal, several DEOs from affected districts were excused from Wednesday’s meeting.
The Commission is expected to hold a separate review with them later this month once relief and rehabilitation work stabilises.
The ECI’s firm directive underscores its determination to push ahead with election-related groundwork in Bengal amid rising political tensions and logistical challenges in the state.
