Kolkata (West Bengal)

The five-member delegation of the Trinamool Congress Party on Saturday will meet the Chief Electoral Officer at BBD Bagh amid the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in West Bengal.

According to the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC), the delegation comprising Chandrima Bhattacharya, Manas Ranjan Bhunia, Moloy Ghatak, Aroop Biswas, and Shashi Panja will visit the Chief Electoral Officer at 2 pm.

This development comes after the Election Commission of India revised the timeline for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, shifting the date of final publication to February 14, 2026.

In its official order, the ECI stated that this extension was granted in view of the large-scale enumeration work and the need for proper verification and rationalisation of polling stations across the state.

The Election Commission published the draft rolls on December 16, following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in West Bengal, with 58,20,899 electors, accounting for 7.59 per cent, deleted due to death, being untraceable, or permanent migration.

According to a press release by the Election Commission, out of a total 7,66,37,529 voters, 7,08,16,630 electors had submitted their enumeration forms as of December 11.

The poll body stated that genuine electors can still be added back in the electoral rolls during the Claims and Objections period from December 16 to January 15, 2026.

Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a sharp attack on the BJP, alleging that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise is being used to destabilise the state government.

Announcing an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh to the families of the deceased and Rs 1 lakh to hospitalised, Banerjee accused the Centre of selectively implementing SIR in non-BJP-ruled states such as West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.

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"Due to SIR, 40 people have died. An ex-gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh has been announced. For those in the hospital, the amount is Rs 1 lakh... Just so that the State government could not function, SIR was declared just three months before the polls. In Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Assam, elections are happening. SIR will happen in Tamil Nadu & Kerala since the BJP is not in power. It's happening in West Bengal since the BJP is not in power. Why is SIR not happening in bordering States where BJP is in power?" Mamata said.

Urging people to attend hearings and fill out forms correctly, CM Mamata accused the BJP of trying to "drive out minorities, Matuas and Rajbanshis." She also cautioned voters against supporting independent candidates, claiming it would indirectly benefit the BJP.