Oppn states rally against SIR as review of poll rolls commences

Booth-level officers started going house to house in 12 states and Union Territories on ‘Tuesday as the second phase of the special intensive revision began amid staunch opposition in some states, notably West Bengal.

- HT Correspondent

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee leads a march against SIR in Kolkata on Tuesday.

(PT)

“If even one voter's name is dropped, we will crush the BJP-led government,” said chief minister ‘Mamata Banerjee while addressing a massive rally in central Kolkata organised by the ruling party to protest against the SIR.

Over the next month, the exercise will be carried out in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Among these, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and West Bengal are due for assembly elections in 2026.

The enumeration process began on Tuesday, with draft rolls to be published on December 9, and the final rolls on February 7, 2026.

In Bengal, enumeration forms were handed over to more than 8 million voters, officials aware of the matter said. “The house-to-house enumeration phase started from Tuesday. BLOs, accompanied by booth level agents, are visiting from door-to-door to distribute the enumeration forms and explaining to the voters how to fill the forms,” said a poll panel official in Kolkata.