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West Bengal's Voter List Mystery: Why 2,940 Officers Will Scrutinize Every Name

West Bengal is gearing up for a massive voter list revision. A team of 10 officers will handle hearings for each constituency, making a total of 2,940 officials. The process starts after the draft list is published in mid-December. The whole exercise aims to create a final, accurate roll by February next year.

Key Points: 10 EROs Per Constituency for Bengal Voter List Hearings

  • 10 Electoral Registration Officers assigned to each of Bengal's 294 Assembly constituencies for hearings
  • Draft voters' list with over 7.66 crore names to be published on December 16
  • Hearings will address claims, objections, and data ambiguities in voter information
  • Final revised electoral roll scheduled for publication on February 14, 2026
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SIR: 10 EROs will handle hearings on claims/objections for each of Bengal's 294 Assembly constituencies

West Bengal deploys 2,940 officers for voter list hearings in SIR's second phase. Draft list out Dec 16, final list by Feb 14, 2026.

"Voters qualifying for enlistment... but having data ambiguity in progeny mapping will also be summoned for a hearing - CEO's office source"

Kolkata, Dec 13

A total of 10 electoral registration officers (EROs) will be handling hearings on claims and objections for each of the 294 Assembly constituencies in West Bengal in the second phase of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state, which will start after the publication of the draft voters' list on December 16.

A total of 2,940 EROs will be handling the phase of hearings on claims and objections for the 294 constituencies, with the state Chief Electoral Officer already informing the Election Commission of India (ECI) headquarters in New Delhi about this requirement, CEO's office sources said.

The total number of voters as per the current list as of October 27, 2025, is 7,66,37,529. The SIR exercise started on November 4. The draft voters' list will be published on December 16, which will end the first stage of the three-stage SIR exercise.

Thereafter, the ECI will start the second phase of the revision exercise, which will basically involve filing claims and objections, and the notice phase -- which is issuance, hearing, verification, and decision on enumeration forms and disposal of claims and objections -- to be done concurrently by the EROs.

The final voters' list will be published on February 14, 2026

"It will be wrong to think that 100 per cent of the voters qualifying for enlistment in the draft voters' list will be exempted from being summoned to attend the hearing. Voters qualifying for enlistment in the draft voters' list but having data ambiguity in progeny mapping will also be summoned for a hearing and asked to explain the ambiguity," a CEO's office source said.

The ECI has decided to hand over the separate lists of excludable voters to the booth-level agents (BLAs) of all the political parties in the state that are registered with it.

This decision is aimed at bringing transparency to the process of hearing on claims and objections that will happen in the second stage of the SIR exercise

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rajesh Q
Transparency is key! Handing over the excludable voter lists to all party BLAs is a very good step by the ECI. This should reduce allegations of bias and manipulation. Our democracy needs such clean processes.
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Aman W
"Data ambiguity in progeny mapping" – this is the crucial part. So many families have members living in different cities or abroad. Getting this right is essential to prevent genuine voters from being left out. Hope the hearings are citizen-friendly.
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Sarah B
Working in governance, I appreciate the scale of this. 2940 officers for hearings is a huge commitment. The timeline is tight though - draft list on Dec 16 and final by Feb 14. Hope the quality of revision doesn't suffer due to the rush.
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Vikram M
With nearly 7.7 crore voters, every single vote matters. This SIR exercise is critical for West Bengal's political future. Citizens must actively participate in the claims and objections phase to ensure the list is accurate. Jai Hind!
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Nisha Z
A respectful criticism: While the structure seems robust, the real test is at the booth level. Will these EROs be accessible in remote areas? Will people have to travel far for hearings? The devil is in the implementation details.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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