UP's Major Electoral Roll Revision: CEO Assures Public Amid Challenges
As the deadline for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral lists approaches in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa has provided crucial updates addressing concerns about the massive exercise. With 1,62,486 polling booths across the state and an equal number of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) working on the ground, the electoral machinery is operating at full capacity to ensure comprehensive voter list updates.
Massive Manpower Deployment and Progress Status
The scale of the SIR exercise is enormous, with nearly 55% of elector forms digitized as of Friday, covering approximately 8.5 crore voters. The organizational structure includes one supervisor for every 10 BLOs, totaling around 16,450 supervisors, along with 403 Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and multiple assistant EROs in each assembly constituency. Additional support comes from tax collection and sanitation workers, particularly in challenging urban areas.
Rinwa emphasized that while the draft list published on December 9 might not include some names, this is not the final version. "The most important thing is that people should not panic. If someone's name does not appear in the draft list, he or she can fill Form 6 for inclusion," he stated, reassuring citizens that continuous updates will occur even after the final electoral roll publication on February 7, 2026.
Urban Areas Pose Significant Challenges
The CEO identified urban areas as the primary challenge in the SIR exercise. Several factors contribute to this difficulty, including the reassignment of BLOs who lack local area knowledge, rationalization of booths that sometimes splits families across different polling stations, and incomplete voter addresses in electoral rolls.
"In some areas of Noida, houses are not numbered but have so many voters that four booths must be established," Rinwa explained, highlighting how this requires multiple BLOs to cover the same geographical area. This contrasts with rural regions where family registers maintain specific numbering, boundaries are clearer, and local connections through ration dealers and schools facilitate the process.
To address these urban challenges, District Election Officers have sought support from all government departments, including nagar nigams and the Noida Authority. The administration has also encouraged online submission of enumeration forms through a dedicated portal, resulting in over 1.10 crore forms being digitized in a single day with enhanced support.
Addressing BLO Welfare and Political Engagement
Responding to concerns about BLO welfare following reported deaths, Rinwa clarified that reports have been sought for each incident. "There are two reported cases of suicides," he acknowledged, while noting that in the Lucknow case of a BLO death due to brain hemorrhage, the individual had been replaced a week prior.
The administration has issued instructions to provide comprehensive support to BLOs facing technical difficulties or working in challenging areas. Genuine cases requiring leave for social events or medical situations are being accommodated, and BLOs battling mental health issues are being replaced. "This is undeniably an additional task, but not an impossible one," Rinwa asserted.
On political engagement, the CEO reported productive collaboration with 4.41 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by recognized political parties. These BLAs, familiar with their local areas, serve as crucial bridges between voters and BLOs. While addressing opposition concerns about potential voter deletions, Rinwa maintained that all complaints from political parties are being thoroughly addressed.
Regarding possible deadline extensions for the massive exercise, Rinwa indicated that while additional time might be sought if work remains incomplete, the current focus is on concluding the revision as scheduled. The administration remains committed to ensuring a comprehensive and accurate electoral roll through this intensive revision process.
