Karnataka has reached a landmark in its ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls with election officials stating 89% of enumeration forms have been distributed across the state.
The distribution process has been moving on from time to time with booth-level officers (BLOs) visiting a lot of voters’ homes door to door. The rest of the forms are expected to be distributed soon, particularly in remote and urban areas where access and availability of residents has been problematic.
Special Intensive Revision is a periodic exercise in which existing voters are verified, new voters are identified, duplicate or ineligible voters are removed, and changes made to the voter’s home or personal information are updated.
This process is designed to make sure every eligible citizen is included and the election system is good, said the officials.
Election authorities have called on citizens to cooperate with booth-level officers by filling in the enumeration forms properly and submitting them within the specified time frame.
Voters are also to provide valid supporting documents where required so that verification can take place and the electoral rolls can be updated.
The Election Commission has deployed thousands of booth-level officers in Karnataka to carry out the exercise efficiently. Senior citizens, people with disabilities, migrant workers and people living in geographically difficult areas are being taken into account to ensure no eligible voter is left out.
Political parties are also monitoring the revision process since electoral roll accuracy is key to free and fair elections. Representatives from different parties have been asked to participate in the verification process and to report any discrepancies to the established channels.
For some urban areas the progress has been slower, since residents are not available during working hours or they live in different places or have changed addresses frequently, election officials said. More visits and awareness campaigns are in place to increase coverage in those areas.
The Election Commission has maintained that the revision exercise is routine administrative and should not be viewed as a cause for concern. It is only a way to verify voters’ personal information and ensure that their names are in the electoral rolls.
With 89% of enumeration forms already available, Karnataka is on track to complete the remaining phase of the exercise on time. We are hopeful that full coverage will be made soon, so there can be a more accurate and transparent voter database for future elections.
