Enumeration phase of SIR begins in Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim, Manipur
New Delhi, May 31
Enumeration Phase of the Special Intensive Revision 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.
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.
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.
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."
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
Reader Comments
I'm a first-time voter in Mizoram and this SIR process seems promising. The ECI's goal of "no eligible citizen left out" is exactly what we need. My only concern is the timeline - from July 5 to September 6, the claims and objections period feels a bit rushed, especially for remote villages. Hope BLOs are properly equipped and trained. 🇮🇳
Good initiative but why stop at just 16 states and 3 UTs? All states need this revision, especially in border areas like Manipur and Sikkim where demographic changes are more pronounced. Also, giving BLAs the power to collect up to 50 forms daily is fine, but there should be a digital trail to avoid fake enrolments. Transparency is key! 🔍
I live in Sikkim and the voter list here has been a mess for years. Names of Tibetan refugees and illegal immigrants often get added, while genuine locals miss out. This SIR with house-to-house verification by BLOs sounds good, but the real test will be how quickly they remove ineligible names. Draft publication on July 5 - will mark my calendar! 📅
Finally, some attention to the northeastern states! 😊 The fact that BLOs will carry blank Form 6 during house visits is a smart move - last year, many elderly people in our Manipur village couldn't enrol because forms weren't available. But I wish the ECI had also included Assam and Nagaland in this phase, given the sensitive demographics there. Good step, but could be better!
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.