Kolkata, Sept. 17 -- During a preparatory training session on Special Intensive Revision (SIR) for district-level election officers which was virtually held by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal, the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) were told that Bihar model may be followed when it comes the implementation of SIR in Bengal, sources said.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) already hinted that the SIR could be implemented in Bengal in October. DMs were told that the enumeration forms of voters for SIR will have to be printed in the districts. The process should be completed within the specified time. The DMs were also asked to identify the printing press where the enumeration forms can be printed.
The Commission, in a report submitted to the Calcutta High Court earlier, informed that the SIR of electoral rolls in West Bengal has already commenced, and that notification will soon be out.
The Commission submitted in its affidavit that "preparatory steps" have been set in motion and a formal notification would follow in due course.
According to an official, Tuesday's meeting was primarily held on issues related to the SIR. Case studies from Bihar, where the SIR was rolled out earlier this year, were showcased in the training. During the meeting, it was also said that the training of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) would have to be within a week.
The CEO's office has already directed district officials to start mapping voters as compared to the electoral rolls published in 2002, when the last SIR exercise was held.
On September 10, the ECI reviewed state-level preparedness for what would be the largest electoral revision exercise ahead of a busy election calendar next year.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress (TMC) chairperson and Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee have raised questions over the way the SIR was carried out in Bihar. Both the leaders have alleged that ECI was conducting the SIR in Bihar in a very "hasty" manner.
While touring north Bengal recently, the Chief Minister stated: "It is impossible to conduct SIR in two or three months before elections in Bengal. It will take at least two to three years. The move is only to satisfy the BJP." When asked by media persons on whether she felt that SIR before the Bengal election is a conspiracy, Banerjee said: "The matter is sub judice. I will not comment, but my smile is enough."
"SIR was last conducted in West Bengal in 2002. It had taken two to three years then. Is it possible to make a voter list in two or three months? The Election Commission should not frame policies based on what the BJP says," Banerjee had stated.
Moreover, Abhishek Banerjee already accused the ECI of "functioning as an arm of BJP" and had said the fight against the poll body would continue "inside court, outside court, inside Parliament and outside Parliament".
Meanwhile, according to reports, the Supreme Court on Monday said it would scrap the entire controversial SIR for Bihar if it finds the laws and rules were not followed by the Election Commission of India.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.