Why parties in Bengal and UP are revolting over SIR 2.0 | Capital Beat

The latest episode of The Federal's YouTube program Capital Beat brought together Chandan Ghosh Choudhury, Congress spokesperson, West Bengal, senior journalist Shahira Naim and The Federal's Samir K Purkayastha to examine the Election Commission's (EC) newly rolled out Special Intensive Revision (SIR 2.0) across 12 states and Union Territories.

The discussion focused on administrative and political friction in West Bengal, anxiety over citizenship-linked narratives, and the early responses in Uttar Pradesh as parties prepare for the verification drive.

In West Bengal, the panel noted tense all-party interactions at the state electoral office and pointed to sharpened contestation among parties over the scope and speed of SIR. The debate also flagged questions raised in the meeting convened by the state electoral officer in Kolkata, where opposition representatives demanded clarity on inclusion, deletion and verification procedures.

The conversation expanded to why Assam is outside the current exercise, even though it goes to the polls the same year as West Bengal, and how that exclusion is being read politically in neighbouring states.

West Bengal’s flashpoints

Chandan Ghosh Choudhury described SIR 2.0 as an exercise “rolled out so fast” in a “densely populated” state where the administrative machinery needs more time and sensitivity. “The Election Commission hasn’t taken time here to complete it… just by one month; then another addition is given for the correction,” he said, arguing the schedule is inadequate for the volume of work on inclusion, deletion and correction.

Also Read: Why Kerala and Tamil Nadu are crying foul over SIR 2.0?

He linked the present climate to earlier state experiences during roll revisions and stressed that Bengal’s demographic realities needed careful handling. “The borderline population… are not handled so sensitively,” he said, urging the poll panel to insulate the process from political crossfire and to approach it as a neutral administrative exercise.

He cited the recent all-party engagement at the state electoral office and the memoranda submitted on what he termed administrative lapses at multiple levels, including the readiness and selection of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and Booth Level Agents (BLAs).

Border sensitivities and NRC-linked anxieties

The panel noted how citizenship narratives are shaping public perceptions. Ghosh Choudhury said apprehensions in Bengal’s border districts mirror memories from Assam’s NRC exercise. “Assam has been excluded because of NRC,” he remarked, adding that this fuels fear in Bengal that “it’s an inflation of NRC… that approach to Bengal,” and urged that “ECI be sensitive” in communication and execution.

He warned of a “fear psychosis” among sections of the population. Referring to a recent incident, he said: “Yesterday, very unfortunate incident happened in Bengal… one man… just committed suicide,” linking it to anxiety over documentation and status, and calling for immediate safeguards to prevent escalation.

Ghosh Choudhury argued that an inclusive approach is essential: “We are asking ECI to be sensitive… handle it sensitive[ly],” while reiterating that political parties should be taken into confidence before and during field operations.

Timelines and capacity concerns

Samir K Purkayastha said the present round differs from earlier revisions in scale and speed. “It is trying to wrap up the entire gigantic exercise within a window of hardly three months,” he noted, pointing to the planned publication of the first draft by December, the window for claims and objections in January, and the final list by February.

“With around 7.61 crore voters [in West Bengal]… to conduct this entire exercise within this limited period… is very difficult,” he cautioned, warning that “there is bound to be… lots of [issues] during this entire process.”

He also highlighted the risk of avoidable errors when timelines compress complex field verification. “Problems are bound to crop up,” he said, calling for additional checks and steady communication at booth level to keep the process on track.

Assam exception raises sharper questions

Purkayastha underlined that Assam's exclusion from the revision reinforces perceptions that SIR is tied to citizenship determination rather than to cleaning voter rolls. “By keeping Assam out… on the pretext that NRC… is underway there… [it’s] a kind of giveaway that this entire exercise is more to do about citizenship determination than cleansing of the electoral process,” he said.

He contrasted this with the Election Commission’s stated emphasis on inclusion. “If it is only to… clean [the] electoral roll then why [are they] leaving out Assam,” he asked, adding that standard roll-purification tasks—removal of deceased voters, duplicate entries and corrections—are needed everywhere.

He cautioned that numbers aired publicly before fieldwork—such as alleged exclusion figures—can deepen apprehensions. He said such figures “targeting particular communities” have created “fear among… refugee communities,” and urged the Commission to proactively counter fear narratives.

Uttar Pradesh: Opposition vigilance and booth-level watch

Turning to Uttar Pradesh, Shahira Naim said Opposition parties — especially the Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress—view SIR through the lens of potential disenfranchisement of vulnerable groups. “They fear that these are the people who are going to be disenfranchised,” she said, referring to women, minorities, backward classes and Dalits.

She pointed to the SP’s organisational response. “The Samajwadi Party has already announced… [a] Prahari across the 403 constituencies,” she said, describing a network intended to “ensure that things go right… [that] names are not deleted… of people who are marginalized… and help them.”

Naim said other opposition parties have protested but are still defining structured responses at scale. She added that SP will aim to keep its “PDA” voter coalition intact and sees SIR as a test of its ability to mobilise assistance for at-risk voters during verification.

Party mechanisms and booth presence

Purkayastha emphasised that parties in Bengal must operationalise their booth presence to support voters and monitor the process. “TMC has started their helpline and booth level task teams… Similarly other political parties like the Left Front… are also doing that,” he said, welcoming initiatives that keep “ECI under constant pressure so that they… remain very alert.”

He flagged the gap in designating BLAs across West Bengal’s polling stations. “So far till yesterday no political party… have named BLA 2 in all the 80-plus booths in West Bengal… all political parties together… have named only 18,000 odd BLAs,” he said, urging immediate appointments so BLAs can “function as a… watchdog” alongside BLOs.

He summed up the ground reality: “SIR is a reality… the challenge is how to… make it as best as possible,” urging parties to combine protests with systematic booth-level coordination and support for voters.

Inclusion, correction and the need for time

Ghosh Choudhury outlined the technical workload—“inclusion, deletion, correction”—and the checks required to identify deceased, fake, displaced and multiple entries. “For that you need time… you need… unit research,” he said, contending that speed without adequate preparation magnifies risks.

He said the state’s electoral map has expanded significantly over time and argued that such growth intensifies the need for careful scrutiny, particularly in border districts. He pressed for a methodical approach grounded in up-to-date population data and sustained coordination between the Centre, the state government and political parties.

He reiterated that confidence-building is foundational. “It should always take the confidence of all the political parties,” he said of the process design and rollout, adding that this helps uphold the “sanctity” of democratic procedures.

What parties expect of the Commission

Both journalists on the panel stressed the Commission’s role in de-escalation. Purkayastha said the poll body should counter fear narratives and clarify that SIR focuses on accurate rolls, not citizenship certification. He urged consistent messaging and transparency in Assam-related decisions to avoid sending mixed signals elsewhere.

Ghosh Choudhury called for clearer instructions to field units, stronger oversight of booth-level staffing and responsiveness to documented lapses submitted by parties. He said “the agencies should really work out” the practical hurdles flagged in memoranda so that on-ground teams can meet the schedule without compromising fairness.

The Uttar Pradesh timeline and political stakes

Naim observed that although Uttar Pradesh assembly polls are due later, parties are treating SIR as a rehearsal for organisational readiness. She said the SP’s attempt is to ensure its social coalition remains registered, reachable and prepared for verification and corrections as needed during the exercise.

She added that the stakes are not just administrative but also electoral, with parties determined to prevent any avoidable deletions among groups they identify as core supporters. As verification proceeds, she said local units will continue to refine assistance mechanisms for marginalised voters.

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