The Election Commission has asked district magistrates in Bengal to start mapping electors enrolled in 2002 immediately as part of its effort to link that year’s voters’ list with the 2025 list before initiating the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The process to sync the electoral rolls of 2002 and 2025 will end by September 26, while the mapping of electors of 2002 will conclude by September 20. In all likelihood, the SIR will commence across the country after Durga Puja in Bengal and Dussehra in
other states.

“With the mapping of the 2002 electoral rolls, it can be said that the groundwork for the SIR will commence in Bengal. District magistrates have been asked to start the mapping of 2002 electors immediately. It is likely to start from Monday,” said a source on the poll panel.

Under the mapping, booth-level officers (BLOs) would visit the residences of the electors whose names figured in the 2002 list and check their status on the 2025 rolls. The electors would be given their part number (of booth or constituency) and the serial number mentioned in the 2002 lists. The SIR was last conducted in Bengal in 2002.

When the SIR commences, the voters whose names made it to the 2002 rolls need to
mention their EPIC number, part number and serial number on the enumeration forms. They would not be required to submit any other documents. Similarly, their children would use details of their parents mentioned in the 2002 lists while submitting their enumeration forms.

“The BLOs will verify each name on the current electoral rolls with the 2002 rolls. Those whose names figure in both the lists will not be required to submit any other documents. Their children, if they were enrolled after 2002, will also be able to use their parents’ details to fill in the forms during the SIR. The BLOs will also note down the details of the children of the 2002 electors in case they were not enrolled that year,” said
a source.

The BLOs will take note of the details manually. This will help the EC create a data bank on 2002 electors and their children, even before enumeration forms are distributed during the SIR.

The EC has made it clear that the mapping should
be done transparently, asking supervisors, assistant electoral registration officers (AEROs) and election registration officers (EROs) to monitor the work of
the BLOs.

This is significant as the EC has become cautious in handling any work related to updating electoral rolls in Bengal after it was found that many fictitious names were inserted in the electoral rolls of four Assembly segments. The EC has already asked the state to suspend two EROs and two AEROs of the Baruipur (East) and Moyna Assembly segments and lodge FIRs
against them.

“Although the government is yet to file any FIRs against the four officials, they were put under suspension.... The EC is cautious in conducting all exercises related to electoral rolls, and that is why monitoring of BLOs would have to be done by the higher official,” said a source.

A senior deputy election commissioner from Nirvachan Sadan was likely to visit some districts to review the mapping exercise on September 18 and 19. He will hold video conferences with the district election officers or the DMs to monitor the entire mapping exercise.

“This gives a clear idea of the importance that the EC is giving to the mapping exercise before carrying out the SIR in Bengal,” said an official.