Odisha: Sudarsan Pattnaik creates sand art in Puri to boost SIR awareness
Bhubaneswar, May 30
Renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik on Friday created a sand art at Niladri Beach in Puri to spread public awareness regarding the scheduled Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Odisha starting today.
According to officials, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) across Odisha will carry out door-to-door visits from May 30, which will continue till June 28, as part of the voter enumeration exercise.
Expressing gratitude to the artist for his initiative, State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) RS Gopalan said, "We are thankful to Sudarsan Pattnaik for his beautiful sand art."
Speaking to reporters about the SIR, Gopalan also outlined the phase-wise timeline of the revision process.
"In Odisha, SIR started on 20th May. From 30th May to 28th June, our BLOs will be visiting house-to-house; they will also be available in the booth in the evening from 3 PM to 5 PM. Their job is to distribute the enumeration form to all voters in the 2025 roll, get it filled up and collect it back," CEO Gopalan said.
He further added, "After the forms are collected back, the draft roll will be published on 5th July. Then we will invite claims and objections. The last date for filing claims and objections is 4th August. After that, for one month, all claims and objections will be heard, inquired into and disposed of. The final roll will be published on 6th September 2026."
Highlighting the local deployment, Puri District Magistrate (DM) Dibya Jyoti Parida stated that all necessary arrangements are in place to assist citizens.
"SIR process has begun in Puri district. BLOs will visit door-to-door and give enumeration forms to voters, and all details will be filled in the enumeration forms. We appeal to all voters to cooperate with them," Parida told reporters.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) schedule has been outlined for multiple States and Union Territories with clearly defined timelines for each stage of the electoral roll process.
For Odisha, along with Mizoram, Sikkim and Manipur, the qualifying date is July 1, 2026. The preparation, training and printing phase will run from May 20, 2026, to May 29, 2026, followed by house-to-house visits by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) from May 30, 2026, to June 28, 2026. Rationalisation of polling stations will be completed by June 28, 2026. The draft electoral roll will be published on July 5, 2026, with the period for filing claims and objections from July 5, 2026, to August 4, 2026. The notice phase and disposal of claims and objections will continue from July 5, 2026, to September 2, 2026, and the final electoral roll will be published on September 6, 2026.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Door-to-door BLO visits from May 30 to June 28 is a good move, but I hope the timing is convenient for working people. Evening slots from 3-5 PM will help, but many of us are still at work then. Maybe extend to 7 PM? Otherwise, nice initiative from the CEO and DM of Puri. 👏
This is a positive step. I've seen how messy electoral rolls can be in my constituency—names missing, duplicate entries, etc. Having BLOs personally visit is a good way to ensure accuracy. The timeline from May 20 to September 2026 is long but thorough. Kudos to Sudarsan Pattnaik for the creativity! 😊
I appreciate the effort but wish the article mentioned how people can verify if BLOs are genuine. In rural areas, there's risk of impersonation. The sand art is beautiful but practical info would help more. Still, a good initiative overall.
Interesting article. As someone from the US, I find it fascinating how Indian elections use sand art for awareness—very creative! Our voter registration is mostly online. The door-to-door approach seems personal and effective for a diverse population. Good to see civic engagement like this.
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