'Relief must be given...'—TMC MP Dev calls for help at SIR hearing
Bengali actor and TMC MP Dev showed up (a bit late) at a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) verification hearing in Kolkata on Wednesday.
He only stayed for 10 minutes but made a heartfelt appeal: "Relief must be provided to senior citizens and those who are unwell," pointing out how tough long queues can be for elderly and sick voters.
What's the SIR all about?
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is a big drive to clean up Bengal's voter rolls before the 2026 assembly polls.
Launched in October, it's meant to add eligible voters and remove ineligible ones—including suspected Bangladeshi immigrants—and fix issues for about 1.3 crore people whose paperwork doesn't match up.
Progress so far?
With the February 7 deadline coming up, only 9.3 lakh of over 1.3 crore hearings have happened, and there are just 160 centers across Bengal—so getting everyone verified is tough.
Over 11,000 people might get dropped from the rolls due to document issues.
Did Dev's visit matter?
Even though his stop was short (and included taking a lot of pictures), Dev's call for relief highlighted the need to make things easier for vulnerable voters as the revision process continues.