Election Commission's SIR Drive: 99% Forms Distributed Amid Opposition Concerns

Of the nearly 50.97 crore electors as of October 27, the number of enumeration forms distributed for the second phase of the SIR drive remains at 50.43 crore, the EC said in its daily bulletin.

Of the 12 states and Union Territories, Goa and Lakshadweep achieved 100 per cent distribution of enumeration forms. Nearly 11.85 crore EFs have been distributed in Goa, with a total of 11,85,034 electors.

In Lakshadweep, exactly 57,813 enumeration forms have been distributed against the same number of electors. Lakshadweep leads with 61.30 per cent digitisation of EFs.

Menawhile, the lowest EF digitisation remains in Kerala at 6.18 per cent and Uttar Pradesh at 9.21 per cent.

The significance of enumeration forms is huge in conducting the SIR drive, as they document a list of eligible voters. The enumeration forms are available on the official website of the EC and can be accessed through Booth Level Officers (BLOs), who have been tasked with carrying out door-to-door visits.

Amid the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in West Bengal, the ECI has started preparing for the 2026 legislative assembly polls in the state, with the poll body set to begin the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) checking and voting rehearsals on Friday.

Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti led a meeting in Kolkata with multiple First Level Checking (FLC) team members, during which they discussed the ongoing SIR, preparations to ensure the stock of EVM and VVPATs, and other matters. According to ECI officials, the state EC has all the machines in stock.

The ECI has also introduced new rules specifying which display information would be available on the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), including the image of each candidate in every constituency this time. This is the first time an image of a candidate will be included on the machines.

According to EC officials, "The image will be placed next to the EVM button and will also be shown in the training."

According to the ECI, the 2026 assembly elections will see an increase of nearly 15,000 polling booths across the state. In the 2021 elections, the state had 80,681 booths; in 2026, the number will increase to around 95,000. To ensure that the West Bengal Election Commission has enough machines for each booth, the state's Chief Election Commissioner's office currently has 1.30 lakh EVMs (including ballots + control units, reserves) and 1.35 lakh VVPAT machines.

Notably, the SIR process has been vehemently opposed by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the state and by other opposition parties, including the Congress, at the national level.

TMC has called for halting the SIR process, alleging that it could be detrimental to citizens' voting rights if any eligible elector is left off the rolls. The Bharatiya Janata Party, in turn, has accused the TMC of attacking election officers, alleging that it is the TMC that is actually trying to unduly influence the upcoming elections.

- ANI