When the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls begins in October, people working outside Bengal, including the large contingent of migrant workers, would have to declare while filling up the enumeration form that they are not enrolled as voters elsewhere.
“People working in other states would have to sign a declaration that they don't have their names registered as voters in the states where they work if they wish to register their names in the electoral rolls in Bengal. This is to ensure no one is registered as a voter at multiple places,” said a source in the Election Commission of India.
Sources also said that outstation workers would be allowed to fill in the enumeration forms online as it would be difficult for them to visit the state and complete the process here. In Bengal, enumeration forms will be distributed at voters' residences.
“Like Bihar, a QR scanner could be there. Those working in other states can scan and fill in the enumeration form to submit it online. But they have to declare that their names are not registered in the places where they work,” said another source.
Migrant workers, sources said, might not have to submit extra documents.
“If their or their parents’ names figure in the 2002 electoral rolls, they can submit the enumeration forms by mentioning their EPIC number and part number where they were voters according to the 2002 electoral rolls. In case they did not figure in the 2002 lists but their parents did, they will mention the details of their parents and attach any of the EC's 12 listed identification cards, including Aadhaar, with the enumeration form,” said a source.
“The EC will declare what those working outside the state will have to submit along with their enumeration forms in case neither they nor their parents figure in the 2002 electoral rolls before the SIR starts,” the source added.
The EC has already asked district magistrates to draw up lists of outstation workers.
“The EC will reach out to all Bengal residents working outside the state before the SIR starts. A massive campaign will be undertaken by the poll panel to let the targeted workers know details of the process needed to fill up the enumeration form. In addition to the campaign, district authorities will reach out to the workers' kin based in the state to make them aware of the process,” said a source.
According to primary estimates, district authorities have informed the poll panel that the total number of "migrant workers" could be around 22 lakh. Some officials said that the number could be much higher, given the fact that the state brought back nearly 40 lakh migrant workers to Bengal from other states during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“There is little chance that the number has decreased. Given that the state failed to create employment opportunities post-pandemic, the number, in all likelihood, has gone up in the past few years. The DMs have been asked to draw up a list of migrant workers with their details before the SIR starts in full swing,” said an EC official.
Sources said that the EC was cautious about registering the names of migrant workers in Bengal during the SIR to avoid controversy.
If those working outside Bengal are not covered properly during the SIR, a large number of names could be deleted, which EC sources believe will trigger unnecessary controversy. As there is a possibility of dead and shifted voters existing in Bengal's electoral rolls, it is being assumed that many names will anyway be struck off, said sources.
“If migrants are not covered properly during the SIR, the number of deleted voters will be huge. It will definitely leave the poll panel open to criticism,” said an EC official.