The Election Commission of India announced on Thursday the conduct of Phase III of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, covering 16 states and 3 Union territories. The poll body clarified that this phase will not include Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh.
Scope of Phase III
In a statement, the Election Commission said, "Election Commission of India has directed the conduct of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in 16 States and 3 Union Territories (UTs)." It further added, "With this, the SIR of Electoral Rolls will cover the entire country in Phase-III except Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. After considering the completion of Phase-II of the Census in these three State/UTs and due consideration of the weather in the upper reaches/ snow bound areas, SIR schedule for these three State/UTs will be announced later."
Previous Phases and Involvement
The Commission noted that in the first two phases of the SIR, conducted in 13 states and UTs covering nearly 59 crore electors, over 6.3 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and 9.2 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by political parties were involved at various stages of the process.
Details of Phase III Enumeration
During Phase III, more than 3.94 lakh BLOs will conduct door-to-door visits to reach 36.73 crore electors during the enumeration phase. They will be supported by 3.42 lakh BLAs nominated by political parties.
The Election Commission emphasized the importance of this revision to ensure accurate and updated electoral rolls across the country. The SIR process aims to include eligible voters, remove duplicate entries, and correct discrepancies in the existing rolls.
