Kolkata: A three-member team from the Election Commission of India (ECI) arrived in Kolkata November 5, 2025, to review the ongoing first phase of the three-stage Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
The ECI delegation includes Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti, Deputy Secretary Abhinav Agarwal, and Principal Secretary S.B. Joshi. They will remain in the state until November 8, 2025, and oversee field-level activities. Moreover, they will coordinate closely with state election officials to review the progress made so far.
The central team will visit three northern districts — Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, and Cooch Behar. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Manoj Kumar Agarwal and a technical team will accompany them. Together, they will assess how effectively the Special Intensive Revision is being implemented on the ground.
Meanwhile, the CEO’s office has already arranged a monitoring system to ensure booth-level officers (BLOs) are addressing voter concerns. The office is checking whether BLOs are attending calls and resolving grievances on time. This step aims to improve accountability and responsiveness at the local level.
Additionally, the mobile app “Book a Call with BLO” has become operational. The CEO’s office will continuously track activities on this app to make sure voter requests are handled quickly. This initiative is expected to strengthen communication between voters and election officials.
An official from the CEO’s office said that if any BLO fails to respond to a voter’s call, a prompt alert will be sent to the district election officer. The officer will then remind the BLO to address the unattended calls immediately. This process ensures that no voter grievance goes unanswered.
The first stage of SIR began Tuesday, with BLOs visiting every household to collect voter details using enumeration forms. After this phase, the state will release a draft voters’ list for public review.
In the second stage, political parties and individual voters can file objections or corrections to the draft list. Finally, in the third phase, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) will resolve these complaints and publish the final voters’ list.
The entire revision process is expected to conclude by March 2026. Notably, West Bengal last conducted a Special Intensive Revision in 2002, making this exercise significant for ensuring accurate and updated voter records.