The SIR process is set to commence in West Bengal. The Election Commission issued orders for appointments to ERO, AERO, and BLO positions within 24 hours. The recruitment process will be completed by Friday, after which the SIR work will begin.
SIR: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list is about to begin in West Bengal. The Election Commission has directed the state administration to immediately fill the vacant positions of Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO), and Booth Level Officer (BLO).
The work of voter list revision is already underway in Bihar, and now this process is also set to commence in West Bengal. The Election Commission has stated that the SIR process can only be smoothly executed in the state once the appointments are completed on time.
Election Commission Orders Recruitment within 24 Hours
The Election Commission has given clear instructions that the West Bengal administration must complete the appointments of ERO and AERO within 24 hours. In addition, orders have been issued to expedite the filling of pending BLO positions.
The state administration received these orders through a letter from the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Manoj Agarwal. In this letter, the Chief Secretary of the state, Manoj Pant, has been urged to fill the vacant posts in all districts as soon as possible to avoid any delays in the SIR process.
Preparations at 95,000 Polling Stations
In preparation for the upcoming elections, the number of polling stations in West Bengal will be increased from 80,000 to over 95,000. Senior officials from the Election Commission stated that these orders are part of the preparations before the commencement of SIR.
The Election Commission plans to initiate the SIR work immediately upon the issuance of the official notification. For this purpose, all District Magistrates have been instructed to ensure the appointment of necessary officials within the stipulated timeframe.
BLO Recruitment to be Completed by Friday
The state administration has asked all District Magistrates to complete the BLO recruitment process by Friday. Currently, there are 610 vacant AERO positions and several vacant BLO positions across the state.
The Election Commission has indicated that officers at the Deputy Magistrate level should be appointed as EROs in the districts. If such officers are not available, senior WBCS officers can be assigned this responsibility.
Second Phase of SIR Process Underway in Bihar
While preparations are underway to start the SIR process in West Bengal, this process is already ongoing in Bihar. Only four days remain for the completion of the second phase of SIR in Bihar. The main opposition party, RJD, has filed numerous complaints regarding this process. According to Election Commission officials, 1.95 lakh applications have been received from voters so far, with many of them having been acted upon.
Increase in Applications from New Voters
The Election Commission has reported that since August 1, 8,51,788 new voters have applied. This includes young individuals who have turned 18 after the commencement of SIR. So far, 37,050 of these applications have been processed by the Electoral Registration Officers.
Response from Political Parties
Interestingly, only CPI (ML) Liberation and RJD have so far filed 82 complaints regarding the revision of the voter list. The Election Commission notes that other political parties have not shown the expected level of participation in this process.
Benefits of SIR in West Bengal
The objective of the SIR process is to make the voter list more accurate and updated. This will enable the inclusion of new voters and the removal of duplicate or incorrect names. The Election Commission aims to have a completely clean and accurate voter list before the upcoming elections, ensuring that the voting process is transparent and fair.
