Bengal uploads 39.6 million names before SIR; Booth mapping progressing

A top official told ET that the booth mapping process was completed on October 19 in all districts except Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri, affected by the natural disaster.

Kolkata: The names of approximately 39.6 million voters in the state have been uploaded to the Election Commission's website so far, after matching them with the 2002 SIR data before the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls. A top official told ET that the booth mapping process was completed on October 19 in all districts except Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri, affected by the natural disaster.

A key meeting in Delhi
This comes ahead of a crucial meeting on the SIR process to be held in New Delhi on October 22-23. CEOs from all states except Bihar will participate. People familiar with the matter told ET that this potential booth matching represents approximately 52 percent of West Bengal's total voters. According to the latest 2025 voter list, the total number of voters in West Bengal is 76 million. Assembly elections are scheduled for West Bengal in 2026, and SIR will be rolled out soon.

Where are the most voters?
West Medinipur district in West Bengal has the highest data matching percentage at 72%, while North 24 Parganas has the lowest at 44%. This data upload follows the booth mapping exercise in the state. This is an internal exercise of the office of the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal (WB-CEO) to help expedite the SIR process once it begins. The office of the Election Commission of Bengal was given an unofficial deadline of October 18-19.

Survey not conducted in these districts
According to the latest data from the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, all districts except Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling have completed the matching process. However, data matching can be updated through the BLO app once the SIR process begins. Booth mapping has not yet been completed in Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling districts. Continuous rains and landslides in these two districts caused huge damage and killed 32 people.