Mumbai Deploys 7,000 Civic Staff for Voter Mapping Ahead of Electoral Roll Revision
Mumbai: Around 7,000 civic staff have been deployed in Mumbai for the ongoing voter-mapping exercise ahead of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The majority have been assigned roles as Booth Level Officers (BLOs), who are tasked with verifying and mapping voters by cross-checking entries against the 2002 electoral rolls.
This voter mapping is part of the pre-revision phase and includes matching entries from the 2002 SIR rolls with the 2024 electoral database using the BLO app, officials said.
Officials stated that the exercise requires nearly 10,000 personnel, with the remaining 3,000 being drawn from other government departments, including the GST department and the collector's office, as well as teachers.
A ward-level officer remarked: “Largely, ward-level staff have been pulled in for this work. They have been provided training on how to conduct the drive and have been asked to go and map voters on the list.”
Meanwhile, a BLO noted that they have been instructed to complete the work by April 30. “We have already started work on the ground. We have been asked to complete as much as possible by April 30,” said a civic official appointed as a BLO.
To ensure transparency and avoid allegations of wrongful deletions at later stages, BLOs are being accompanied by Booth Level Agents (BLAs) — representatives of political parties — who are actively involved in the process. In a meeting held on Friday, the municipal commissioner addressed political party leaders, urging them to cooperate in the drive. Officials noted that an advantage of this arrangement is that local political party workers are familiar with the area and can identify eligible voters.
The SIR programme will be conducted in six phases: pre-revision, enumeration (currently ongoing), preparation of AASD (Already Enrolled, Absent, Shifted, Dead) lists, to which citizens can raise suggestions and objections, publication of draft electoral rolls, claims and objections, and publication of the final rolls.
The last SIR in Maharashtra was conducted in 2002, nearly 24 years ago. Officials said that changes in electoral rolls are necessary due to factors such as migration, duplicate entries, deceased voters, or illegal inclusion of foreign nationals. Accordingly, the SIR programme is being implemented across Maharashtra, including the Mumbai region.
