A Booth Level Officer (BLO) helps a woman fill the enumeration form at the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) help desk in Kochi, Kerala. | Photo credit: Thulasi Kakkat
The Special Intensive Review (SIR) exercise, which is underway in 12 states and Union Territories, is being conducted in a “hurried and ill-planned manner”, the CPI(M) said on Saturday (Nov 29, 2025) and urged the Election Commission to stop the exercise.
In a statement issued here, the CPI(M) politburo said what was supposed to be a routine, transparent and citizen-friendly exercise has turned into a “chaotic, arbitrary process that threatens both the integrity of the electoral rolls and the safety of those who are forced to do the job”.
“The CPI(M) reiterates its strong opposition to the manner in which the special intensive revision of electoral rolls is being carried out across the country,” the Left party said.
It said the entire exercise is being conducted “in an unhurried and poorly planned manner”. “Booth level officers (BLOs) have been given impossible deadlines to complete door-to-door verification,” it said.
The CPI(M) alleged that this rush led to complaints at several places of BLOs who camped in some party offices and asked voters to visit them. “All of this will inevitably lead to mass exclusion and mistakes,” the statement said.
The Left Party said the immense pressure on the BLO had “already claimed many lives”. “They are working under an overwhelming workload, without adequate rest or guarantees. They are not accidental victims – they are the direct result of an irresponsible and inhumane administrative process,” it said.
The CPI(M) said it was also “shocking” that the EC was allegedly not using its own software to detect duplicate voters, a tool specifically designed to ensure accuracy and reduce manual burden.
“This raises serious concerns about the true intent and purpose of the current revision,” it said.
“This is compounded by the fact that both BLOs and ordinary voters who want to upload forms face internet connectivity issues, unstable servers and repeated technical glitches. For many – especially marginalized sections and in rural areas – uploading a simple form has become an ordeal, effectively creating new barriers to voter inclusion,” the statement said.
The CPI(M) demanded that the EC immediately stop this “flawed process” and “stop the disenfranchisement of a large number of people”.
Published – 29 Nov 2025 21:04 IST
