The Election Commission of India (ECI) has strengthened its efforts to clean and update the electoral rolls in West Bengal by appointing four more senior IAS officers from different central ministries as Special Roll Observers (SROs). This move is part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, which is being carried out ahead of the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections.
The decision reflects the Commission’s focus on ensuring that every eligible citizen is included in the voter list, while all ineligible names—such as those of deceased, duplicate or permanently shifted voters—are removed. With the revision process now entering a crucial phase, the ECI has expanded its monitoring team to make the exercise more effective and transparent.
Four New IAS Officers Appointed as Special Roll Observers
The four newly appointed SROs are Dr Sailesh, Deputy Secretary in the National Health Authority; Ratan Biswas, Director of Census Operations, Tripura; Sandeep Rewaji Rathod, Director in the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports; and Vikash Singh from the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.
In letters sent to each officer, the Election Commission clearly stated that their role is to ensure that no eligible voter is left out and no ineligible voter remains on the rolls. These officers will closely observe the revision work on the ground and coordinate with state election officials.
Their appointment comes about a month after the ECI named the first batch of five senior officers from ministries such as Home Affairs, Defence, Finance, Rural Development and Information and Broadcasting. These officers were assigned to different divisions of West Bengal and are working as micro-observers during the SIR process.
Focus on Claims, Objections and Error-Free Voter Lists
The second phase of the three-stage SIR process began after the publication of the draft electoral roll on December 16. This phase is considered critical, as it deals with claims and objections raised by citizens. During this stage, notices are issued, hearings are held, documents are verified and applications are either accepted or rejected by Electoral Registration Officers.
According to ECI sources, the addition of new SROs is meant to strengthen this phase and avoid mistakes. The Commission wants to ensure that genuine voters are not wrongly deleted, while at the same time removing names of dead, duplicate, absent or permanently shifted voters.
So far, around 58 lakh names have been deleted from the voter lists in the state. Of these, nearly 24 lakh were identified as deceased voters. The Commission has also directed election officials to intensify progeny mapping after finding errors in parental details in the current rolls. This involves comparing present records with data from 2002, when the last intensive revision was conducted in West Bengal.
All SROs will work closely with West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal in Kolkata. Once the second phase is completed, the final electoral roll will be published on February 14, clearing the way for the announcement of Assembly election dates
