Last Updated:January 11, 2026, 17:44 IST The move followed recent appeals by BJP leaders, including Adhikari, who had urged the ECI to recognise these plantation records as proof of identity. Tea garden workers, predominantly from Adivasi and Gorkha communities, form a crucial vote bank in North Bengal. (Representative image) In a significant development, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has approved the use of tea garden and cinchona plantation employment records as valid documents for identity and residence for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls for seven districts in the northern parts of West Bengal. In an official letter dated January 11, 2026 and addressed to the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal, the poll body stated that the Commission has “no objection” to the state election authority’s proposal to accept these records in the districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, North Dinajpur, and South Dinajpur. “I am directed to refer to you letter No. 5163-Home (Elec)/R3E-73/2025 dated 31.12.2025 and to state that the Commission has no objection to the proposal …