SIR in Bengal: 15 pc voters yet to receive enumeration forms as ECI's initial deadline ends

Kolkata, Nov 12 (IANS) The initial deadline set by the Election Commission of India (ECI) for completing the enumeration form distribution under the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) in West Bengal has ended, with around 15 per cent of the voters in the state yet to receive the forms.

According to figures available from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, a little over 6.56 crore voters in the state have received enumeration forms till 8 p.m. on Tuesday, roughly around 85.71 per cent of the total registered voters in the state.

The total number of electors in West Bengal as per the electoral roll as on October 27, is 7,66,37,529.

Amid this development, voters who have not received the enumeration forms are anxiously waiting for any announcement from the CEO's office on the extension of the deadline.

The CEO's office, on the other hand, is in touch with its high command, ECI's headquarters in New Delhi, for specific instruction in the matter, confirmed sources in the poll body's office.

Among the different districts, the progress of enumeration form distribution is lowest in Kolkata at around 66 per cent.

On the other hand, the percentage of voters receiving enumeration forms is the highest in the East Burdwan and East Midnapore districts, 97 per cent.

Meanwhile, an association of booth-level officers (BLOs) in West Bengal, BLO Oikya Mancha (BLO Unity Forum), had claimed that from the beginning, they had been insisting on a larger time frame for the distribution of enumeration forms, which the commission had ignored.

"Although officially, the process of enumeration forms started from November 4, in the first two days, the progress of distribution had been quite slow because of the non-availability of adequate numbers of the enumeration forms. The pace only picked up from the third day, that is, November 6," said a forum office bearer.

--IANS

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