The Election Commission of India has clarified that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) do not have the authority to delete names from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. Any proposal for deletion must be examined by Electoral Registration Officers (ERO) and processed strictly in accordance with established guidelines.
EC Deputes Special Officers to Andhra Pradesh
Setting the stage for the launch of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, the Election Commission has deputed its secretaries Santosh Kumar Dubey and Naveen Kumar to Andhra Pradesh. Their role is to provide insights into the SIR process to field-level officials. The special officers will conduct training sessions for EROs and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) in different zones over the next few days. The senior officials held their first round of sessions with EROs and AEROs from six districts at Srisailam.
Door-to-Door Verification by BLOs
The EC officials advised EROs and AEROs to ensure that BLOs visit every household in their respective zones at least three times to obtain accurate details of electors. "Genuine voters need not have any apprehensions over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, as the exercise is aimed at ensuring clean and accurate voter lists and not at deleting eligible electors," said the Election Commission officials. They stressed that no genuine voter would be removed from the rolls without due verification and an opportunity to present relevant documents.
Objective of the SIR Exercise
The SIR exercise is intended to identify duplicate, shifted, deceased, and otherwise ineligible entries while safeguarding the voting rights of eligible citizens. BLOs will conduct door-to-door verification and collect voter details as part of the process. Draft electoral rolls will be published after the verification process, enabling voters, political parties, and other stakeholders to scrutinize entries and raise objections if necessary.
Protection of Voter Rights
Electors whose names are proposed for deletion will be informed and given adequate opportunity to submit documents or explanations before a final decision is taken. Similarly, eligible citizens whose names are missing from the rolls can apply for inclusion during the revision period. The Election Commission representatives reiterated that the revision exercise is being conducted in a transparent manner to strengthen the integrity of electoral rolls and eliminate bogus entries. They urged voters to cooperate with election officials during the verification process and ensure that their details are correctly reflected in the rolls.
The officials maintained that the objective of the SIR exercise is to improve the accuracy of voter lists, remove ineligible entries, and enhance public confidence in the electoral process while ensuring that every eligible citizen continues to enjoy the right to vote.
