SIR drive: Door-to-door voter verification to begin in Odisha from May 30
Bhubaneswar, May 29
The Special Intensive Revision of the electoral rolls will commence in Odisha from Saturday, with Booth Level Officers launching a door-to-door verification across the state from May 30 to distribute enumeration forms, assist residents in filling them out, and collect the completed forms.
Speaking to media persons, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) R.S. Gopalan said on Friday that the house-to-house verification process beginning from May 30 will be completed by June 28. He said during the above period, the BLOs will visit the homes of electors in the morning and provide enumeration forms to each voter.
The forms will contain details related to the elector's personal information, family particulars, and information linked to the 2002 electoral roll. During the visits, BLOs will verify the information and correct minor discrepancies wherever necessary.
The CEO has instructed BLOs to remain vigilant to ensure that no eligible Indian voter is left out and that no ineligible person is included in the electoral roll.
Gopalan stated that the draft electoral roll will be published on July 5. The period for filing claims and objections has been fixed from July 5 to August 4.
Similarly, the disposal of claims and objections and the notice period will continue from July 5 to September 2, while the final electoral roll will be published on September 6, 2026.
The BLOs have also been directed to remain present at their respective polling booths between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. daily, so voters can also submit their forms directly at the booth. As many as 45,255 BLOs have been deployed across the state to conduct the SIR smoothly. They have also been imparted the necessary training for the exercise.
The CEO also revealed that, additionally, 33,000 Booth Level Agents have so far been appointed and are currently undergoing training. Help desks have also been activated to assist voters.
He said the voters who prefer a digital route can download the enumeration form directly from the Election Commission's website and upload the filled form online. For queries, residents can reach their local BLO through the dedicated BLO app.
Addressing concerns about logical discrepancies or errors and documentary proof, Gopalan clarified that most discrepancies in voter rolls - such as errors in name or age - are minor and can be resolved through a single-field inquiry.
"Actually, most of the logical errors are small, like discrepancy in age, discrepancy in name. These can be sorted out through just one Panchnama in a field inquiry. For serious errors, the voter may be asked to provide supporting evidence. Even if there is no supporting evidence, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) can decide. Absence of evidence does not mean that the voter is disqualified," said CEO Gopalan.
For voters currently away from their homes, the CEO confirmed that family members are authorised to collect the enumeration form on their behalf and sign it for them.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Good initiative, but I'm skeptical of BLOs visiting homes in the morning. Many of us work or are out during that time. At least they have the 3-5 PM booth timing as an alternative. And the online option is a lifesaver for tech-savvy folks like me. My only concern: will these BLOs actually verify thoroughly in remote villages of Odisha? The real challenge is in tribal areas where digital literacy is low. Hope the training they got was proper.
Interesting to see how this is done in India. Back in the US, voter registration is mostly online or at the DMV—less door-to-door effort. But given India's diversity and rural areas, this hands-on approach makes sense. The fact that family members can sign for absent voters is practical. I'm curious though—with 45,255 BLOs, are they all locals who know the area? That would help catch ghost voters or duplicate entries. Odisha seems to be setting a good example!
As someone from Cuttack, I appreciate the effort to clean up the rolls. But I have a small gripe: why does the process start on May 30 and end June 28, but the final roll only comes out on September 6? That's over three months for just processing claims and objections. Could be faster, no? Also, what about migrants like my brother who works in Bangalore? The CEO says family can sign—that's good, but will the form reach him in time? These logistics need ironing out.
Impressive numbers—45,255 BLOs and 33,000 Booth Level Agents! That's a huge workforce. But I want to see results, not just numbers. The CEO says most errors are minor like age or name misspellings. In my experience, those 'minor' errors cause big problems on polling day.
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