Overview
- In a letter dated January 11 to the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer, the Election Commission said it had no objection to accepting tea garden and cinchona employment records for SIR 2026.
- The approval applies to Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur.
- Employment records issued by garden authorities can now be used as proof of identity and ordinary residence during enrolment and verification.
- Reports say booth-level and registration officials have been told to accept these records subject to due verification under existing electoral rules.
- BJP leaders, including Suvendu Adhikari and Amit Malviya, welcomed the move and urged eligible plantation-area residents to register.