NEW DELHI: More than 45,000 booth-level officers (BLOs) commenced a statewide door-to-door survey across Odisha on Saturday as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, Chief Electoral Officer R S Gopalan announced. The month-long exercise, which will continue until June 28, was launched from Puri and covers all 147 Assembly constituencies in the state. A total of 45,255 BLOs have been deployed to carry out the revision process.
Key Details of the Revision Drive
Gopalan stated that nearly 75 per cent of electors only need to sign the required forms and do not need any additional documents for the SIR. He assured that no genuine citizen would face any difficulty during the process. The groundwork for the exercise has achieved significant progress, with nearly 95 per cent of voters already matched with the 2002 electoral roll, the last time a Special Intensive Revision was undertaken in Odisha.
Measures to Address Heatwave and Rumors
To mitigate the impact of the ongoing heatwave, BLOs will conduct house visits before 11 am and remain available at polling booths between 3 pm and 5 pm each day. Gopalan also urged the public not to pay heed to unfounded rumors surrounding the SIR exercise. He emphasized that the process would be completed according to rules and peacefully.
Process and Verification
As part of the exercise, officials will distribute enumeration forms, assist voters in filling them out, and collect completed documents. The forms include personal details, family information, and records linked to the 2002 electoral roll. BLOs will also verify voter information and rectify minor discrepancies during the survey. Gopalan directed them to ensure every eligible voter is included in the rolls while preventing the inclusion of ineligible names.
Schedule for Draft and Final Rolls
The draft electoral roll is scheduled to be published on July 5, while the final voter list will be released on September 6.
