Delhi, 26 December (H.S.): The third phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls will soon be initiated in the remaining 22 States and Union Territories across the country, sources in the Election Commission of India said on Friday.

At present, the poll panel is conducting the second phase of the SIR in nine States and three Union Territories. These include Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Lakshadweep, along with election-bound States such as Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala and Puducherry.

In Assam, a Special Revision of the electoral roll is currently underway. The State is scheduled to go to Assembly polls early next year.

As per legal provisions, the Election Commission is empowered to prepare and update electoral rolls and undertakes revisions before elections or whenever it considers necessary. Officials said the ongoing exercise has been taken up in a phased manner in view of multiple changes in the electoral rolls caused by migration, multiple registrations of voters at different locations and difficulties in removing deceased persons from the rolls.

The Special Intensive Revision aims to ensure that no eligible citizen is left out and no ineligible person is included in the electoral roll, sources said.

The first phase of the SIR was conducted in Bihar ahead of the Assembly elections held earlier this year. Following what the poll panel described as the successful completion of the exercise, the second phase was announced. Officials said there were zero appeals reported during the SIR process in Bihar.

Out of the 28 States and eight Union Territories in the country, the Election Commission has so far conducted SIR in Bihar, nine other States and three Union Territories, while a Special Revision is in progress in Assam. With this, the exercise has covered 14 States and Union Territories so far.

Replying to a query on the third phase, sources in the poll panel said the SIR would soon be launched in the remaining 22 States and Union Territories, though further details were not disclosed.

Sources also said the Chief Election Commissioner is scheduled to visit Odisha on Saturday and will subsequently visit other States where the SIR is yet to be conducted.

Recently, the Chief Election Commissioner visited Telangana, one of the remaining States for the SIR. During the visit, he interacted with Booth Level Officers in Hyderabad and discussed issues related to electoral roll accuracy, Special Intensive Revision, grievance redressal and voter awareness.

Officials said Booth Level Officers play a critical role in the roll revision process due to their familiarity with the local electorate and their responsibility for collecting accurate field-level data for assigned polling areas.

During the interaction, a Booth Level Officer was quoted as saying that the Chief Election Commissioner shared practical insights on maintaining error-free electoral rolls, addressing field-level challenges and enhancing voter participation, particularly in urban areas.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar