Election Commission to Announce Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Voter Lists; Mamata Banerjee Orders Major Bureaucratic Shuffle in West Bengal

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is set to announce the nationwide schedule for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, a key process aimed at cleaning up and updating voter lists across multiple states, including West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry. The announcement is expected at a press conference on Monday afternoon, with phase one of the exercise likely to begin November 1.​

This revision comes ahead of local, assembly, and parliamentary elections in 2026. The SIR process is critical: unlike the annual summary revision, SIR is a deeper update requiring all registered voters to resubmit enumeration forms. It intends to remove deceased and duplicate names and add new voters, ensuring greater accuracy and legitimacy in upcoming elections.​

Mamata Banerjee’s Strategic Bureaucratic Reshuffle

Just ahead of the SIR announcement, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has carried out a significant reshuffle of district administrative officers. In an order issued Monday, district magistrates (DMs) were transferred across North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Cooch Behar, Murshidabad, Purulia, Darjeeling, Malda, Birbhum, Jhargram, and East Medinipur.​

Insiders suggest the timing of these transfers—before the SIR begins—is deliberate. Once the SIR process is launched, such administrative changes are not permitted, so this move ensures the state government’s control over the bureaucracy during the critical voter list update. Opposition parties have accused the Trinamool government of tailoring the administrative machinery for electoral advantage, while the state government maintains it is a routine reshuffle unrelated to the election or SIR.​

Political Reactions and National Context

Political tension is high, with opposition voices alleging that the government is preparing the administrative ground in its favour ahead of the rollout of SIR. Mamata Banerjee herself has issued instructions to Booth Level Officers to ensure legitimate voters are not struck off the rolls and has warned against harassment in the revision process.​

In other states, leaders including Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Haryana minister Anil Vij have publicly welcomed the SIR initiative and praised the ECI’s commitment to correcting and cleaning voter lists.​

Conclusion

The synchronized timing of West Bengal’s bureaucratic reshuffle and the Election Commission’s forthcoming SIR announcement highlights the importance of administrative control and electoral transparency in the run-up to major polls. The next few weeks stand critical for political parties, bureaucrats, and voters as the country prepares for a significant overhaul of its voter lists.