EC allows tea garden records as valid ID for SIR in Bengal

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has approved the use of tea garden and cinchona plantation employment records as valid documents to establish identity and residence for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in seven districts of north Bengal.

In an official letter dated January 11 to the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, the poll body said it had “no objection” to the state election authority’s proposal to accept the employment records in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur districts.

The decision follows appeals by BJP leaders, including Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, who had urged the Commission to recognise plantation employment records as valid proof of identity and residence amid concerns over possible voter exclusion during the SIR process.

Tea garden workers, largely drawn from Adivasi and Gorkha communities, constitute a key voter base in north Bengal and have historically faced difficulties in producing documentary proof of residence for electoral enrolment.

Welcoming the move, the BJP said the decision would help ensure that eligible voters are not left out of the electoral rolls. Adhikari described the approval as a “major victory” for what he termed the long-neglected voices of north Bengal.