Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, May 21: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday announced the schedule for the third phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which will be carried out across 16 states and three Union Territories ahead of the final publication of updated voter lists between October 1 and December 23.
According to the Commission, the cut-off date for voter eligibility under this phase will vary between July 1 and October 1, depending on the region.
The nationwide exercise will cover states and UTs including Telangana, Punjab, Karnataka, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Delhi, Nagaland, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttarakhand, Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim, Manipur, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu. With this phase, the revision drive will effectively extend to the entire country, except Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh.
As part of the large-scale revision exercise, more than 3.94 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will conduct door-to-door verification of approximately 36.73 crore voters. They will be assisted by around 3.42 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) nominated by political parties.
The ECI said that in Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim, and Manipur, the qualifying date for inclusion in the rolls will be July 1. Preparatory work, including training and document printing, will begin on May 20 and continue until May 29. Door-to-door verification will take place from May 30 to June 28, followed by the publication of draft rolls on July 5 and final rolls on September 6.
For Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, preparatory work will run from May 25 to June 3, with draft rolls to be released on July 10 and final lists on September 11.
In Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Chandigarh, draft electoral rolls will be published on July 21, with final lists scheduled for release on September 22.
In Karnataka, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Delhi, the qualifying date will be October 1. House-to-house verification will be conducted between June 30 and July 29, with draft rolls released on August 5 and final rolls on October 7.
In Telangana and Punjab, BLO visits will take place from June 25 to July 24, with draft rolls published on July 31 and final rolls on October 1.
In Nagaland, draft rolls will be published on September 20 and final rolls on November 11. Uttarakhand’s draft list will be released on July 14, with final publication on September 9. In Tripura, the draft rolls will come out on October 21, with final electoral rolls scheduled for December 23.
The Commission said the phased exercise is aimed at ensuring accuracy, inclusivity and transparency in the electoral rolls ahead of upcoming electoral cycles across the country.