West Bengal CEO Silent on SIR, Conducts Training for Booth Officers

Rapid Summary

• A divisional-level training session for Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), Supervisors, and Booth Level Officers (BLOs) was convened by West Bengal’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) in Kolkata on July 26, 2025.
• The training is part of preparations for the West Bengal Assembly elections scheduled for 2026.
• Speculation exists about whether a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls might potentially be conducted, similar to Bihar’s ongoing process.
• Addressing media queries, CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal clarified that decisions regarding an SIR lie with the Election Commission of India (ECI).
• Mr. Agarwal emphasized that while BLOs conduct at least one SIR during their tenure and such revisions have occurred periodically between 1952-2004, the Saturday training did not mean an immediate SIR was planned for West Bengal.
• Past context: The CEO website shows district-wise electoral rolls from previous revisions like the 2002 roll in West Bengal. Bihar’s current SIR uses its own past roll as a reference point from 2003.
• In Bihar, BLOs are conducting door-to-door voter enumeration tasks using digital tools like a BLO app; though, no confirmation exists about adopting similar measures in West Bengal.

Indian Opinion Analysis

The training session demonstrates proactive measures by election officials in gearing up for the upcoming assembly elections in West Bengal in 2026. While speculation around a Special intensive Revision (SIR) persists given developments elsewhere-especially Bihar-the absence of formal notifications by ECI underscores procedural clarity required before any moves toward revising rolls take place.

The remarks by CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal reflect adherence to clearly defined jurisdictional limits and transparency regarding election protocols.Any potential SIR could hold significance not only as preparation but also as reinforcement of accurate voter data integrity-a cornerstone of free and fair elections.

Additionally, ongoing practices like digital enumeration seen in Bihar hint at increasing technology integration into governance processes aimed at inclusivity and efficiency-something stakeholders might closely monitor if introduced similarly in other states including West Bengal.

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