The Election Commission has granted an extra week for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, now extending the deadline to February 14. This crucial update affects 12 states and Union Territories. The decision was made just before the Parliament’s winter session, where the SIR process is anticipated to be a significant point of discussion between the ruling party and opposition factions. Poll officials have been given this additional time to finalize the draft electoral rolls. The enumeration phase, originally set to conclude on December 4, will now run until December 11. Consequently, the draft voter list, initially slated for release on December 9, will now be published on December 16, with the final list to be issued on February 14. Opposition parties, including the Trinamool Congress, had previously met with the Chief Election Commissioner, expressing concerns about the preparedness and fairness of the ongoing verification drive. They highlighted issues with the extensive door-to-door verification and the immense pressure faced by booth-level officers (BLOs) to meet stringent deadlines. Tragically, reports of BLOs dying by suicide have emerged from several states, including West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, with West Bengal’s upcoming assembly elections adding to the urgency. In Bengal alone, as of late November, over 18 lakh deceased voters were identified on the electoral rolls. The Election Commission has also revised its estimate for names to be removed, now expecting around 35 lakh deletions, encompassing deceased, duplicate, untraceable, and migrated voters.
