Multiple BLOs, unclear enumeration forms—SIR exercise in Kolkata creates confusion among voters

Many residents of Kolkata are struggling with or delaying completing their enumeration forms for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Bengal’s electoral rolls due to confusion over form fields, relative names, and photo size, while Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) are often unavailable to help, according to The Telegraph. Several voters told Metro they sought help from non-BLOs and used correction fluid on their forms, unsure if it was allowed.

On Saturday morning in Kasba, a large crowd gathered where booth-level agents (BLAs), political appointees aiding BLOs, were assisting residents with form filling. One of the BLAs stated, “Many had made wrong entries and then erased them with whiteners. Others are requesting us to fill up the forms. We saw panic among people when they had not got the forms and were worried about losing their citizenship. Now, the panic is whether their names would be deleted from the voters’ list if the form is not filled properly.”

‘Poorly formatted form that lacks clarity’

He added, “Those whose names are not on the 2002 list are filling the columns meant for voters on the list.”

A top state government official mentioned his account of going through issues with the form for the past 10 days.

“If my name is not on the 2002 list, I have to fill out the column on the right, which asks for the name of a relative on the list. If my parents are also not on the list, then who qualifies as a relative? The space is too small. If I get a photo clicked to fit, it may not reproduce well. A normal passport-size photo doesn’t fit the box, and I’m unsure if it will be accepted. It is a poorly formatted form that lacks clarity,” he claimed, the report noted.

In Jodhpur Park, an elderly woman got her form filled out by a neighbour. “The neighbour made a mistake, then used whitener to correct it. My mother is worried whether her form will be cancelled. There is also confusion about the photograph size,” her son said, according to the report.

Several BLOs mentioned that many voters asked them to return another day after posing a series of questions about how to fill out the forms. Some voters completed photocopies and showed them to the BLOs, promising to fill out the actual forms only after the BLOs had reviewed the copies. “The collection of forms is likely to take many more days than the distribution. I went with a target to collect forms, but most people were still asking questions,” a BLO stated in the Ballygunge Assembly constituency.

Some voters faced difficulties in obtaining photographs due to long queues at studios. Others asked BLOs to fill out the forms themselves. “If we start filling everyone’s forms, we cannot complete the process. We guide them, but we cannot fill forms for entire families,” a BLO asserted in the Jadavpur Assembly constituency. Even those who have completed forms have often left several sections blank, filling them in only when the BLO comes to collect the forms.

Confusion increases in housing complexes where more than one BLO is assigned. Each BLO, appointed by the Election Commission of India, manages one “part”, the smallest division of an Assembly constituency. Several parts together form a ward, and several wards make up an Assembly constituency. A resident mentioned, “The residents of our apartments belong to three parts of the Kasba Assembly constituency. Three BLOs have visited, but much of what they said does not match. It becomes confusing when I talk to neighbours from different parts.”

An enumeration form is a document used to compile an official record of people, items, or data. For the West Bengal SIR 2025, these forms will be used to prepare the list of eligible voters for the West Bengal Assembly Election 2026. Approximately 7.66 crore enumeration forms have been prepared, with each voter receiving two copies: one to keep along with a stamped acknowledgement and the other for the Election Commission’s records.