Following a lot of controversy regarding the status of the SIR exercise being conducted in West Bengal, the Election Commission of India on Sunday issued a formal notification laying down strict parameters for the acceptance of Permanent Resident Certificates (PRC) for voter’s identity verification.
Citing previous correspondence from January 2026, the ECI clarified that while a PRC remains a valid document, it is no longer a “blanket” pass. To be accepted, the certificate must meet three key criterias that have been listed below:
Authorized signatories only: Only PRCs issued by a District Magistrate (DM), Additional District Magistrate (ADM), Subdivisional Officers (SDO), or the Collector (Kolkata) will be deemed valid.
Statutory compliance: Electoral officers must strictly function as statutory authorities under the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
Strict framework: All documents must align with the West Bengal Government’s guidelines dated November 2, 1999, including all subsequent amendments.
This move follows the ECI’s January decision to reject domicile certificates as valid evidence of residence. Voters who previously submitted domicile papers may now be summoned for fresh hearings to provide the newly mandated documentation.
Context: A state divided over “the list”
The SIR exercise in West Bengal has become a major political debate point, with the ECI attempting to balance administrative “cleanup” against allegations of ‘corruption’ and ‘disenfranchisement’.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has written letters to the election commissioner of India registering her strong protest against the revision process. In her complaints, Mamata has claimed that multiple booth level officers (BLOs) have committed suicide due to the archaic revision process being implemented across the state.
Previously, some BJP leaders had also called for ECI officials including the Commissioner to personally visit the state to see the ground reality of the revision process. West Bengal BJP President Samik Bhattacharya had previously requested the Chief Election Commissioner to visit the state to put an end to “Mamata’s tyranny”.
In his complaint, Samik had mentioned that Mamata’s ‘goons’ had broken into govt offices and manipulated official electoral records under the the threat of physical action against BLOs
Nobel Laureate weighs in on the SIR debate
Adding weight to the debate, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has previously expressed concerns over the climate of “fear and uncertainty” surrounding citizenship and residency documentation in Bengal.
Sen has noted that the administrative complexity of proving residency often hurts the most marginalized sections of society who may lack access to high-ranking officials like DMs or ADMs for paperwork.
The ECI aims to ensure a clean list before the 2026 state elections to prevent voter fraud or ghost voting. The last such intensive revision in Bengal was in 2002. ECI along with the central government has claimed that shifts over 23 years (involving people who have died, or shifted during that time) have made current rolls highly inaccurate.
As the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal moves to enforce these “no-deviation” rules, the state remains on edge, watching whether these safeguards will ensure a “clean” list or trigger a fresh wave of political confrontation.