Election Commission Initiates Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls
Launch of Special Intensive Revision
Election Commission of India (Photo: X)
New Delhi, May 14: On Thursday, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the phased rollout of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across 16 states and three Union Territories.
The Commission has finalized the Phase-III schedule of the SIR, considering the availability of common field resources currently engaged in the ongoing census house-listing operations.
The states and UTs participating in the SIR include Delhi, Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim, Manipur, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Telangana, Punjab, Karnataka, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Tripura, Dadar and Nagar Haveli, and Daman and Diu.
With the initiation of Phase III, the SIR will comprehensively cover the entire nation, excluding Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh.
The Commission indicated that the schedule for these three regions will be revealed later, taking into account the completion of Phase-II of the census and weather-related challenges in higher altitudes and snow-affected areas.
During this extensive revision initiative, over 3.94 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will perform door-to-door verification for approximately 36.73 crore electors in the Enumeration Phase.
These BLOs will receive support from around 3.42 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by various political parties.
The ECI characterized the SIR as a “participative and transparent exercise” that involves electors, political parties, and election officials at various levels.
Emphasizing the significance of political engagement, the Commission urged all recognized political parties to designate Booth Level Agents for each polling booth to promote transparency, inclusiveness, and effective oversight during the revision process.
“I encourage all electors to actively participate in Phase III of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and complete their Enumeration Forms. The SIR aims to ensure that only eligible voters are included in the electoral rolls and that no ineligible names are present,” stated CEC Gyanesh Kumar during the launch of SIR Phase III in 16 states and 3 UTs.
The Commission also noted that the first two phases of the SIR, conducted across 13 states and Union Territories, encompassed nearly 59 crore electors as of the issuance date of the respective SIR orders.
More than 6.3 lakh BLOs and 9.2 lakh BLAs were involved in various stages of the process during these phases, according to officials.
Officials highlighted that the intensive revision exercise aims to ensure error-free electoral rolls by identifying duplicate, shifted, deceased, or ineligible entries while facilitating the inclusion of all eligible voters.