The Election Commission has announced that migrant workers from West Bengal who are living and working in other states will be allowed to take part in Special Intensive Revision (SIR) hearings online. This decision is expected to bring relief to around 22 lakh migrant workers who are registered as voters in Bengal but cannot travel home for physical verification.
According to officials, migrant workers who are digitally skilled will not need to attend the SIR hearing camps in person. Instead, they will be able to submit their documents online through a new portal that is yet to be launched. The portal will include secure video links for online hearings and an e-verification system for uploaded documents.
The SIR exercise involves about 94.5 lakh voters whose records show logical discrepancies. The Election Commission has set February 8 as the deadline to complete all hearings, but it has not yet announced when the new online portal will become operational. From Thursday, the commission began sending lists of voters with discrepancies to booth-level officers (BLOs).
Election Commission sources said the online option was introduced mainly to help migrant workers, students, and professionals who are currently outside the state. Officials added that if a voter cannot attend the hearing personally, a family member may appear on their behalf, and documents submitted online will still be accepted.
Some officials have raised concerns about the feasibility of conducting nearly 10 million hearings within such a short period. These concerns have added to the political debate around the SIR process, especially in West Bengal.
The ruling Trinamool Congress has repeatedly criticised the logical discrepancy, saying it unfairly affects migrant workers. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee claimed that such discrepancies did not exist in earlier SIR exercises and accused the Election Commission of acting under pressure from the BJP. She also said her party was not given a list of affected voters.
Trinamool general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee also demanded that the list of voters with discrepancies be shared. While interacting with migrant workers in Malda, he assured them that the party would raise their concerns in Parliament when it reconvenes.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has warned some booth-level officers for not following official guidelines. Officials said any BLO found making deliberate errors or ignoring instructions could face legal action.
Why is the Election Commission allowing online SIR hearings?
The online hearings are meant to help migrant workers, students, and professionals who are outside West Bengal and cannot attend verification camps in person.