West Bengal: SIR conducted in Kolkata's Gulshan Colony nears completion

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], November 19 (ANI): The government authorities on Wednesday carried out the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Gulshan Colony, a Muslim-dominated area of Kolkata.
BLO Wasim Akram said that the form distribution process is almost complete in the block, with only 300 voters left to distribute forms to.
"Distribution of forms is almost complete. The total number of voters in my block is 1,622. Distribution of forms to around 300 voters is pending. There are people who live here, but their vote is registered elsewhere. They came and collected the forms themselves. 5-6 per cent of people say that their names should have been on the voter list but aren't," he said.
Highlighting the issues of the general public, he mentioned how several voters who were registered in 1995 were removed during the 2002 SIR. He further ensured that their documents were being checked to enrol their names in the voter list.
"There are people whose votes were registered in 1995 but were removed in 2002 SIR. Such people are facing problems, and their documents are being checked. A lot of people here are from other constituencies and have yet to have their voter cards transferred. There are more than 50 per cent such people," he added.
Moreover, Mohammad Anwar, a resident of Gulshan Colony, shared, "I have been living in Gulshan Colony since 2015. I got my voter card transferred here. I got it transferred here from Odisha. I don't remember when I got it done. I voted in the council elections here. I cannot remember when that was. My name was not registered here in 2002. I lived in Odisha and worked there. I did not have my house there. My daughter lived here. I bought a house here with my daughter when these buildings were being constructed. I am from Assam."
Meanwhile, the SIR aims to update voter lists across West Bengal's 294 Assembly constituencies. Over 80,000 Booth Level Officials (BLOs) are conducting house-to-house visits until December 4 to verify and update voter information. To assist voters, 659 helpdesks have been set up across the state.
The Election Commission of India launched the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls across nine states and three Union Territories, covering nearly 51 crore electors.
The states and UTs included in this phase are Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry.
The Enumeration Period, which began on November 4, will continue until December 4, during which BLOs will distribute unique, partially pre-filled Enumeration Forms (EFs) to every elector. The BLOs will visit households at least three times for the distribution and collection of forms.
Electors can also verify their names and details in the previous SIR electoral rolls on the and provide the necessary information in the EF.
To facilitate the process, over 5.3 lakh BLOs, 7.64 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs), 10,448 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs)/Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), and 321 District Election Officers (DEOs) have been deployed. Electors can seek assistance from BLOs through the "Book-a-call with BLO" facility on the ECINet App or dial the toll-free helpline at 1950 with their STD code.
The draft electoral rolls will be published on December 9, followed by a claims and objections period from December 9 to January 8, 2026. The final electoral rolls will be published on February 7, 2026. (ANI)