Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls Begins in Four States

The Enumeration Phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has begun in Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim, and Manipur. The ECI has set a deadline of June 28 for electors to submit forms for inclusion in the draft electoral rolls.

Enumeration Phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has started in Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim and Manipur on Sunday. The four States are part of the third phase of the SIR exercise, ordered in total 16 States and three Union Territories.

According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), all eligible electors whose Enumeration Forms are received by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) on or before June 28 will be included in the Draft Electoral Rolls. Electors who are unable to submit their Enumeration Forms by June 28 can apply through Form 6, along with the prescribed Declaration Form, during the claims and objections period.

Role of Booth Level Officers

During the Enumeration Phase, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will conduct house-to-house visits and provide Enumeration Forms to all existing electors. Electors can submit the duly filled form either through the BLO or online.

To ensure maximum coverage, BLOs will visit each household for distribution, collection, and verification of forms, the ECI stated. During house-to-house enumeration, BLOs will carry at least 30 blank Form 6 along with blank Declaration Forms, for anyone who seeks to enrol as a new elector.

Involvement of Political Parties

With a view to ensuring more involvement of political parties, the Commission has allowed Booth Level Agents (BLAs) of recognised political parties to collect from the public, up to 50 forms a day and hand it over to the BLO before the Draft Publication. National and state-recognised political parties can appoint more BLAs to assist BLOs in the smooth and effective conduct of the SIR process, the poll body said.

Objective and Scope of the SIR

According to the ECI, the main objective of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is "No eligible citizen is left out, while no ineligible person is included in the Electoral Roll. Every person who is a citizen of India and who is not less than eighteen years of age on the qualifying date and is not otherwise disqualified under any law shall be entitled to be registered in the electoral roll."

Elector Data and Key Dates

Currently, there are 3,34,14,856 electors in Odisha, 8,75,008 in Mizoram, 4,71,077 in Sikkim and 20,92,140 in Manipur. The Draft Roll will be published on July 5, with the claims and objections period extending to August 4. The final rolls will be published on September 6. (ANI)

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