Severe Shortage of Voter Enumeration Forms Hampers Special Intensive Revision (SIR) Process in Alipurduar

MP, Alipurduar, Nov 6, 2025 : A severe shortage of voter enumeration forms continues to hamper the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in Alipurduar district, despite a visit by a special team from the Election Commission on Thursday to review the situation.

The district, which requires nearly 15 lakh forms, has received only around 2 lakh so far, leaving Booth Level Officers (BLOs) unable to carry out the crucial door-to-door distribution of forms. The shortfall has sparked strong criticism from local leaders, with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) accusing the Election Commission of failing to adequately prepare for the process.

Sourav Chakraborty, the TMC's Alipurduar district BLA-1, expressed deep dissatisfaction with the situation. "The Commission started the SIR process without adequate preparation. Alipurduar needs at least 15 lakh forms, but we have only about 2 lakh. The administration says more will arrive soon, but the situation won’t normalize before November 8,” Chakraborty said. "There is chaos everywhere. People were ready to fill out forms, but three entire days have been wasted. The BJP government at the Centre made big announcements, but there are no forms. We've asked our 1,350 BLA-2 workers to stay calm and help the people," he added.

The shortage has left BLOs with only a partial voter list, forcing them to distribute a limited number of forms. This has led to growing public frustration and confusion. One BLO, who wished to remain anonymous, shared their experience: “After waiting the whole day on Tuesday, I received only a few forms in the evening. My booth has around 1,200 voters, and with so few forms, it’s uncertain how the process will be completed.”

Meanwhile, the Election Commission's special team, led by Senior Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti, conducted a review meeting at the Dooars Kanya, the district administrative building, where state Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal and a six-member delegation were also present. The meeting included discussions with the District Election Officer, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) regarding the technical aspects of the SIR process and voter list verification.

Although the team reviewed the progress of the SIR process, the issue of the form shortage was not directly addressed in the meeting. However, after the review, Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal reassured that the situation would soon improve. "Not a single eligible voter will be left out of the SIR process. Keeping that objective in mind, we conducted today’s review meeting. There is no shortage of forms—every BLO will soon receive an adequate supply," Agarwal stated.

Despite the assurance, local leaders and BLOs remain concerned about the delays and ongoing confusion caused by the form shortage.