Alipurduar Tops Bengal in SIR Form Distribution and Digitisation, Sets Benchmark for Voter Registration

KalimNews, November 24, 2025, Siliguri : Alipurduar district has emerged as the frontrunner in West Bengal in the distribution, submission, and digitisation of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) forms, according to data released by the Election Commission. Despite statewide controversies surrounding the SIR process, the district has recorded remarkable progress, setting a benchmark for others.

As of the morning of 24 November, Alipurduar achieved the highest digitisation percentage in the state at 62.16 per cent, slightly ahead of Purba Bardhaman at 62.04 per cent. Of the district’s 12,99,486 registered voters, 12,98,708—an impressive 99.94 per cent—have received SIR forms. Out of these, 8,07,716 forms have been collected and digitised, representing 62.16 per cent of the total electorate.

District Magistrate R. Vimala attributed the rapid progress to the administration’s proactive approach. “We have supported our BLOs from the beginning—motivating them, ensuring high-speed internet access, and deploying additional manpower in remote areas. This success belongs to every BLO, every block official, and everyone involved. Many BLOs have already completed 100 per cent of their work, others are at 90 per cent, and we expect full completion within the next two to three days,” she said.

Alipurduar’s challenging geography—with hills, dense forests, tea gardens and forest villages where mobile network connectivity is often unreliable—made the digitisation effort particularly demanding. To support the process, SIR assistance centres, or “Vote Raksha Shibirs”, were set up at the booth level by the TMC. BLA-2 workers conducted training sessions and organised public camps to streamline data collection in difficult-to-access areas. Sourav Chakraborty, BLA-1 of the TMC in the district, said, “Our priority is to ensure that not a single legitimate voter’s name is left out of the SIR process. Workers across the district are actively assisting people at the booth level.”

Kalimpong Assembly Constituency has also recorded notable achievements. BLOs Lydia Lepcha (Part No. 132) and Avinash Khawas (Part No. 128) along with others of the district completed 100 per cent of their SIR tasks by 23 November, demonstrating efficient implementation at the grassroots level.

At the state level, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal, Manoj Kumar Agarwal, highlighted that 121 BLOs across West Bengal have achieved 100 per cent distribution and digitisation of enumeration forms, despite concerns over heavy workloads at the booth level. “We are sharing their photographs and short videos on our office’s social media handle. They are also being felicitated for their exemplary work,” Agarwal said.

Among the achievers, Brishaketu Bauri of Gagi village in Bagmundi, Purulia, set a record by completing both distribution and digitisation of voter forms for booth 240/189 in just 15 days. Bauri, an assistant teacher at Pirargaria Primary School, said, “I started distributing forms from Day One and worked overnight on digitisation. I wanted to ensure voters did not face any difficulty in filling the forms.”

Wahid Akram Mandal, BLO for Part No. 101 at Barachupria Primary School under the Ranaghat Uttar Purba Assembly constituency, completed his task in 17 days. “I initially received 100 forms a day from 4 November. I ensured all forms were distributed the same day. Once collections began, I worked late into the night to finish digitisation. There were occasional glitches in the app, but I continued whenever the connection normalised,” he said. Mandal was felicitated on Sunday by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) for his diligence.

These achievements highlight the dedication of BLOs and other field-level officials who have ensured that voter registration and digitisation processes are carried out effectively, even in challenging terrains. The rapid progress in Alipurduar, coupled with record-setting performances by individual BLOs across the state, underscores West Bengal’s commitment to inclusive, error-free voter registration under the SIR initiative