The Election Commission of India (ECI) has instructed the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, to ensure that hearings on claims and objections during the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) are held exclusively at the offices of the District Magistrates, who also serve as District Electoral Officers.

Sources in the CEO’s office confirmed that the Commission has prohibited the conduct of such hearings at block development offices or panchayat offices under any circumstances.

The ECI has also made webcasting of all hearings mandatory and directed that the footage be properly preserved. Acting on these instructions, the CEO’s office has issued detailed guidelines to all District Magistrates and District Electoral Officers to prepare the necessary infrastructure.

Specially appointed roll observers have been advised to remain vigilant and ensure strict compliance with the directive that hearings be conducted only at DM offices.

Thursday marks the final day for submission and digitisation of enumeration forms. The draft voters’ list will be released on December 16, concluding the first stage of the three-phase SIR process in the state.

Following the draft publication, the second stage—which includes submission of claims and objections, issuance of notices, hearings, verification, and decisions on enumeration forms—will be undertaken concurrently by the Electoral Registration Officers.

The third and final stage will involve the publication of the final electoral roll, after which the ECI is expected to announce the dates for the upcoming Assembly elections.

Meanwhile, the Commission has expressed dissatisfaction over the failure of District Magistrates and District Electoral Officers to propose suitable private housing complexes with multiple high-rise towers for setting up polling booths for next year’s Assembly elections.

The ECI has instructed all DEOs to conduct immediate surveys of high-rise buildings, group housing societies, RWA colonies, slums, and gated complexes with at least 250 houses or 500 voters. They have been asked to identify ground-floor rooms that can serve as polling stations within these premises once the draft roll is published on December 16.