As the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls begins in West Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress has launched thousands of help camps to assist voters with documentation issues. These centres address common problems like name spelling discrepancies and guide people through the process. The initiative comes amid concerns over the exercise ahead of assembly elections.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls rolled out across West Bengal on November 4, targeting 7.62 crore voters with a qualifying date of January 1, 2026. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are visiting homes during the month-long enumeration phase, with forms to be collected by December 4 and the draft roll published on December 9.
In response, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has established thousands of SIR Sahayata Kendras (help centres) statewide. At a camp in Golabari Bazar, Haroa, North 24 Parganas, local Booth Level Assistant (BLA) Mohd Alamgir assists residents. "We are solving all SIR-related problems here. We are guiding people on what to do if they have any document-related problems," Alamgir said. Over 300 people visited the camp in the first three days, many facing issues like mismatched name spellings in voter cards and the 2002 list.
For instance, 60-year-old Doldar Bibi worried about her name's spelling difference. Alamgir reassured her: "You need not worry. Just put the name as it is in the 2002 SIR list on the form given to you by the BLO. Even if the spelling is wrong, let it be. It can be corrected later." Similar problems affected Asad Ali and Sofiya Bibi, who sought verification against old voter lists. Camps provide free printouts and train TMC workers to fill forms correctly.
Complex cases, such as a couple sharing one EPIC number from 2002 to 2005, are escalated through a chain of command involving block supervisors, district leaders, MLAs, and block presidents. Camps operate from 10 am to 5 pm but stay open until issues are resolved or referred. In Sashan gram panchayat, over 90 people sought help in two days, with teams visiting homes.
TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee led a padyatra in Kolkata on rollout day, urging assistance: "If you do not have the papers, go to the ward offices, municipality offices, or the gram panchayats. If you cannot go anywhere, come to our camps. I want to help you all."
Meanwhile, Election Commission data shows TMC registered 35,364 BLAs across 80,681 booths, lagging behind BJP's 37,700. Opposition leaders like BJP's Rahul Sinha claim TMC's low count reflects reluctance to support SIR, while CPI(M)'s Sujan Chakraborty says it shows over-reliance on BLOs. TMC dismisses the figures as outdated, asserting coverage in all booths.