As the Election Commission of India (ECI) puts the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2025 into action, West Bengal is going through a big change in its elections. Before the 2026 Assembly elections, the revision of the voter list is meant to clean up the records, get rid of entries that are duplicates or no longer relevant, and make sure that each qualified voter is correctly represented. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are visiting the homes of over 76 million voters to confirm their identities. This is the biggest voter identification effort in the state in years.
Why SIR is Important in Bengal
The SIR exercise finds mistakes in the voting roll—names of voters who have died, people who have moved, and duplicates will be removed. Initial assessments show that millions of names need to be verified. This leads people to submit papers and participate in hearings to make sure they can vote. Also, about 9,000 new voting places will be added to make it easier for people to vote. Digitisation and even AI-based checks are being used to avoid mistakes and make the process faster.
Responses from politicians: Mamata Banerjee’s Opinion
Banerjee, the head of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Chief Minister, has said that she is worried about the changes to the voter list and thinks they are being done for political reasons. She says that rushing SIR just months before the election could lead to wrong deletions and take away the voting rights of valid voters. Banerjee has said that if any qualified voters are not allowed to vote, there could be protests and unrest. He urged the ECI to make sure that the process is open and fair.
This makes SIR not only an update to the system but also a possible political flashpoint in Bengal. Political parties are closely watching which groups and areas are most affected.
What is Mamta Banerjee’s plan after making huge changes?
The process includes posting a draft roll, allowing claims and objections, holding hearings, and then putting out the updated voter list before the elections. The result will be very important: a clean, accurate roll could lead to more democratic involvement, but mistakes could lead to political controversy.
As Bengal moves closer to 2026, the SIR 2025 exercise is more than just another government job; it could change the way people vote, test how well the government works, and challenge political tactics. For Mamata Banerjee and other leaders, the exercise is an important test of their ability to rule and predict what will happen in politics.
