CEO issues detailed directives to DMs after SIR deadline extension
The Statesman | 3 December 2025
With the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls entering a crucial phase, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal has issued a comprehensive set of instructions to all District Magistrates of Bengal, asking them to utilise the extended timeline to ensure a more accurate and error-free voter list.
The deadline for uploading SIR enumeration forms has been extended from December 4 to 11 December providing an additional seven days to complete the scrutiny and uploading process.
In a circular issued on Sunday, the Election Commission (EC) stated that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) would be given an extra week to upload all enumeration forms to the Commission’s portal. The CEO has categorically instructed the district authorities to deploy this additional time to carry out intensive verification so that no eligible voter is left out and no factual errors remain in the updated rolls. The commission has also warned against lapses in names, addresses or other essential details of valid voters. According to the directive, all enumeration forms currently with BLOs must be uploaded by 2 December, beyond which no new forms will be accepted.
Forms submitted after 11 December from households, if any, will automatically be marked as “uncollectable” on the dedicated app. The commission has emphasised that every uploaded form must be cross-checked with its corresponding hard copy. Forms submitted by organisations or individuals require stricter scrutiny. Any negligence on the part of BLOs will invite stringent action, the order notes.
The CEO’s office has outlined a detailed procedure for age verification. Voters claiming to be heads of households must be checked against the 2002 rolls to ensure their age aligns correctly—whether they have attained 60 years in 2024. Similarly, individuals whose parents’ names were listed in the 2002 rolls, and who ought to be 50 years old in 2025, must be examined for missing entries. If a name was absent despite the individual being 25 or older in 2002, BLOs are instructed to probe the reason.
If the mapped names of parents do not match those in the 2025 draft, BLOs must either visit the voter’s residence or make phone calls to verify accuracy. Additional checks are mandated where the age difference between parents and children appears inconsistent—either below 18 years or above 45. BLOs must also confirm whether the individual is registered as a voter in any other district or state. Any incorrect entry in the app must be corrected with the assistance of EROs and AEROs.
The CEO has directed officials to collect updated death data from the Registrar General’s office and cross-check with ration card cancellation lists to identify deceased voters. Such names are to be mandatorily deleted after verification. Special attention must be given to booths marked as “sensitive” in 2021 and 2024, and to locations where 50 per cent mapping has been completed. Booths with zero to 20 uncollectable forms will also be re-examined to ensure BLOs have entered data correctly.