New Delhi: Amidst the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in 12 states and union territories, the Election Commission (ECI) on Friday said that nearly 99% of voters have received enumeration forms (EFs) for the second phase. Over 13.64 crore forms have been digitized.
In its daily bulletin, the Election Commission stated that as of October 27, only 50.43 crore enumeration forms have been distributed out of approximately 50.97 crore voters for the second phase of the SIR drive. Of the 12 states and union territories, Goa and Lakshadweep have distributed 100% enumeration forms. In Goa, approximately 11.85 crore enumeration forms have been distributed. There are a total of 1,185,034 voters.
In Lakshadweep, exactly 57,813 enumeration forms have been distributed for the same number of voters. Lakshadweep leads with 61.30% digitization of enumeration forms. Meanwhile, Kerala has the lowest enumeration form digitization at 6.18%, followed by Uttar Pradesh at 9.21%.
Enumeration forms are crucial in conducting the SIR drive, as they form the list of eligible voters. Counting forms are available on the Election Commission’s official website and can be obtained through Booth Level Officers (BLOs), who have been assigned to conduct door-to-door campaigns.
Amidst the ongoing SIR of voter lists in West Bengal, preparations for the 2026 assembly elections have begun. This includes checking Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and conducting voting rehearsals. Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti held a meeting with several members of the First Level Checking (FLC) team in Kolkata. They discussed preparations for ensuring the stock of ongoing SIRs, EVMs, and VVPATs, among other matters. According to Election Commission officials, the State Election Commission has all the machines in stock.
The Election Commission has also introduced new rules specifying the display information available on Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs). This includes the photo of each candidate in each constituency. This is the first time a candidate’s photo will be included on the machines.
According to Election Commission officials, the image will be placed next to EVM buttons and displayed during training. According to the Election Commission, the 2026 assembly elections will see an increase of approximately 15,000 polling booths across the state.
In the 2021 elections, there were 80,681 booths in the state. This number will increase to approximately 95,000 in 2026. To ensure that the West Bengal Election Commission has enough machines for every booth, the state’s Chief Election Commissioner’s office currently holds 130,000 EVMs (including ballot, control unit, and reserve) and 135,000 VVPAT machines.
Notably, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the state and other opposition parties, including the Congress at the national level, have strongly opposed the SIR process. The TMC has demanded a halt to the SIR process, alleging that it could harm citizens’ voting rights if eligible voters are excluded from the list.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party has accused the TMC of attacking election officials, alleging that it is the TMC that is trying to influence the upcoming elections.
