The Election Commission has identified nearly 14 lakh Special Intensive Revision (SIR) forms as uncollectable in West Bengal due to issues like absentee voters, duplicates, deaths, or relocations. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) face challenges including technical glitches and voter apathy as the December 4 deadline approaches. Over 80,000 BLOs are engaged in the revision process, the first major update since 2002.
In West Bengal, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is underway, with the Election Commission reporting 13.92 lakh forms as 'uncollectable' as of November 26, 2025, noon. This marks an increase from 10.33 lakh on November 24 evening, with officials expecting the number to rise further. These forms pertain to voters who are absentee, duplicates, deceased, or have permanently shifted.
The revision involves more than 80,600 BLOs, supported by 8,000 supervisors, 3,000 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers, and 294 Electoral Registration Officers. BLOs like Pinki Jaiswal, a primary school teacher in Kolkata, are at the forefront, managing enumeration for areas such as Block 115 in Beleghata Assembly constituency, which has 751 electors based on the 2025 list.
Pinki describes her routine: waking at 5:30 am to upload forms via the EC's BLO app, which often malfunctions outside specific hours like 8 pm to midnight or 6 am to 8:30 am. She distributed 60-70 forms daily in the first 10 days, collected and uploaded in the next 10, and now rushes through the final stretch, having completed 70% of uploads. Challenges include voter indifference—many delay submissions until the December 4 deadline—and panic leading residents to seek her assistance.
In slums along Jay Narayan Tarka Panchanan Road, Pinki helps families like Lalita Das, who needs details from Bihar's 2002 voter list, and Lakhan Das, absent from the old list and facing a potential hearing. Out of 751 electors, she matched 570 to the 2002 list; 182 are dead or shifted. At a makeshift office in an apartment parking area, she fills forms for people like Rajinder Singh, whose wife is hospitalized, taking about 15 minutes per form.
The pressure is intense: Pinki handles 200 calls daily, collects 60 forms by 4 pm, and worries about BLOs suffering anxiety. She misses her Class 4 students ahead of exams and hasn't completed her family's forms. 'All that we do for the sake of democracy,' she laughs, highlighting the personal toll amid voluminous paperwork and logistical hurdles.