Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) in West Bengal began issuing hearing notices from Thursday as part of the next phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
In the initial stage, notices are expected to be served on around 32 lakh “unmapped voters” whose details could not be linked with the 2002 SIR database but whose names appear in the draft electoral rolls prepared for the 2026 Assembly elections. Officials clarified that inclusion in the draft electoral rolls does not automatically exempt a voter from appearing for a hearing. “Being included in the draft rolls does not necessarily mean that a voter will not be called for a hearing, although the process in such cases may be comparatively simpler,” the official said, adding that EROs started issuing notices from the morning of 18 December.
According to the Election Commission’s procedure, two copies of the hearing notice will be issued for each voter. “One copy will be handed over to the voter concerned, while the other will be retained by the Booth Level Officer after obtaining the voter’s signature,” the official explained. Voters will be given a stipulated period after receiving the notice to appear before the authorities for verification, with the hearings likely to commence shortly thereafter. The hearings will be conducted at designated government offices, including the offices of district magistrates, sub-divisional magistrates and block development officers.
Senior officials said arrangements were being made to ensure that the process was carried out in a systematic and time-bound manner, given the large number of cases involved. At the same time, officials are screening cases involving what they described as “logical discrepancies” in voter records, such as inconsistencies in age, address or other personal details. “This screening process is currently underway. Therefore, the final number of voters who will ultimately receive hearing notices is yet to be determined,” the official said.
Voters who are summoned have been advised to keep ready the 11 documents specified by the Election Commission of India for verification. These include identity and residence-related documents that will be examined during the hearing to establish eligibility. Officials emphasised that the draft electoral roll is not final and that the ongoing verification process is aimed at ensuring accuracy and transparency in the voter list ahead of the next Assembly elections.
West Bengal’s Special Roll Observer, Subrata Gupta, is likely to visit north Bengal ahead of Christmas to review the progress of the SIR exercise. According to another official, the visit will focus on assessing the pace of verification, the functioning of field-level machinery and any operational issues faced during implementation. “The visit is aimed at taking stock of the overall progress and ensuring uniform implementation of the SIR across the region,” the official said. The Special Intensive Revision is being carried out as part of preparations for the 2026 Assembly polls, amid heightened political attention and scrutiny over the electoral roll revision process in the state.