The first phase of house-to-house enumeration under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls commenced across Punjab on Thursday, June 25, and will continue until July 24. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anindita Mitra made the announcement on Wednesday, outlining the process and timeline for the state's electoral roll revision.
Enumeration Process and Booth Level Officers
During this phase, booth level officers (BLOs) will visit every household to distribute pre-printed enumeration forms, assist voters in filling them out, and later collect the completed forms. If a household fails to submit the form, BLOs will make up to three visits and affix a sticker at the residence noting the visits. A total of 24,453 BLOs will cover 2,14,61,043 electors across the state. At present, 1,84,61,581 electors have been mapped, accounting for 86.02 per cent of Punjab's electorate.
Timeline for Draft and Final Rolls
The rationalisation of polling stations will conclude on July 24, and draft electoral rolls will be published on August 3. Claims and objections can be filed between August 3 and September 2, with disposal scheduled until September 28. Final electoral rolls will be released on October 1.
Ensuring Inclusion of Eligible Voters
Mitra clarified that if an eligible voter's mapping was not completed during enumeration, they would receive a notice during the claims and objections period. Such individuals could submit documents to the electoral registration officer (ERO) to ensure inclusion in the rolls. “No eligible voter’s name will be deleted during this process,” she said. However, she warned that enrolling as a voter at more than one location is a punishable offence, carrying up to one year of imprisonment.
Key Statistics and Impact
With over 2.14 crore electors and 24,453 BLOs deployed, the SIR aims to update and clean the electoral rolls. The current mapping of 86.02 per cent of the electorate indicates significant progress, but the enumeration phase will ensure maximum coverage and accuracy. The claims and objections period provides a window for corrections, and the final publication on October 1 will mark the completion of the revision process.
