Archive · 12 Nov 2025
Trinamool Congress Sets Up Help Desks in Tea Gardens for Voter Registration
People who work in tea gardens in a place called Dooars are trying to make sure everyone can be registered to vote.
Sometimes, it's hard for them to get the right papers because they might not own land or have official documents easily available.
Many workers also move to other states for jobs and find it difficult to come back to complete paperwork.
To help with this, a union called TCBSU has opened special help spots in the tea gardens.
These spots are like little offices where people can go to get help filling out forms and answering questions about how to get on the voting list.
The election commission is doing a big update of the voter list, and the union wants to make sure no tea garden worker is missed.
Some managers in the gardens think the workers have enough papers, but the workers and the union feel there are still hurdles that need to be overcome.
The Trinamool Cha Bagan Sramik Union (TCBSU) has established help desks in tea gardens across Alipurduar district.
These help desks aim to assist tea workers and their families in the voter registration process during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Many tea garden residents lack digital literacy, making it difficult to utilize online options for form submission.
Challenges in obtaining documentation, such as land-related papers or job records (especially in closed estates), affect voter registration.
The initiative seeks to ensure no tea garden worker is excluded from the updated electoral roll due to awareness or accessibility issues.
- Who
- Trinamool Cha Bagan Sramik Union (TCBSU), tea garden workers and their families, Election Commission of India, managerial employees
- What
- TCBSU set up help desks in tea gardens to assist workers with voter registration and document-related queries during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
- When
- Since Monday, during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll initiated by the Election Commission of India.
- Where
- Tea gardens in the Alipurduar district, Dooars region.
- Why
- To ensure that tea garden workers and their families are not excluded from the voter list due to lack of awareness, digital literacy, or accessibility issues with documentation and the SIR process.
Trinamool Cha Bagan Sramik Union (TCBSU) Leaders and Some Workers
Tea Garden Management Employees
Challenges in Voter Registration for Tea Garden Workers
Trinamool Cha Bagan Sramik Union (TCBSU) Leaders and Some Workers
TCBSU leaders and some workers highlight challenges such as lack of digital literacy for online form submission, difficulty in obtaining land-related documents, and issues for migrant workers in returning home to complete formalities. Workers in closed tea estates also face problems accessing essential documents like job records. They expressed concern about being left out of the electoral roll revision (SIR) due to these challenges.
Tea Garden Management Employees
Managerial employees believe that tea garden residents have sufficient documentation, such as provident fund accounts and employment records, to prove their residency and eligibility for voter registration. They suggested that alternative documents can be provided even if specific ones are missing.
- Initiative
- Trinamool Cha Bagan Sramik Union (TCBSU) establishing help desks
- Purpose
- Assist tea garden workers and families with voter registration during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)
- Location
- Tea gardens in Alipurduar district, Dooars region
- Number of Tea Estates (Alipurduar)
- 64 (3 closed)
- Migrant Population
- Approximately 40% of residents live and work outside the state
- Migrant Voters
- About 25% of migrants are voters
- Duration
- Help desks to function until the SIR exercise is over
Sources
ECI removes BLO in Bandwan after opposition complaint
Bihar Elections Historic, 7.5 Crore Participated In SIR: Poll Body Chief
Over 6.56 cr enumeration forms distributed till Tuesday in West Bengal as part of SIR: Official
Trinamool accuses Election Commission of ‘quietly’ changing rules for booth-level agents
Homes gone, but must SIRvive: Congress lawmaker writes to CEO on erosion-hit voters - Telegraph India
Trinamool Congress sets up SIR help desks at tea gardens to assist workers with voter registration - Telegraph India
