JEYPORE: In a bid to ensure an error-free electoral roll ahead of the completion of Special Intensive Revision (SIR)-2026, deputy secretary Jitendra Kumar Patra reviewed the ongoing census exercise in Kotia region of Koraput district on Tuesday.
Deputed from the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Odisha, Patra visited several polling stations in Kotia group of villages and assessed the progress of the claims and objections phase of the electoral roll revision. He reviewed applications seeking inclusion, deletion and correction of names in the voters’ list and interacted with booth-level officers (BLOs) and other field-level functionaries to take stock of the implementation of the exercise.
Emphasising the need for a transparent, impartial and error-free electoral roll, he directed officials to verify every claim and objection strictly in accordance with the Election Commission’s guidelines. He instructed them to ensure that all applications are scrutinised thoroughly and disposed of within the stipulated timeframe.
The deputy secretary stressed that no eligible voter should be left out of the electoral roll due to procedural lapses. He asked officials to provide necessary assistance to electors, maintain complete transparency in the verification process and ensure that the revision exercise is carried out in a fair, efficient and time-bound manner.
Patra also reviewed the preparedness of the field staff and urged them to maintain the momentum till the publication of the final electoral roll.
The review assumes significance as the bordering Kotia panchayat, comprising a cluster of villages, has remained a politically and administratively sensitive region owing to the long-standing inter-state boundary dispute with neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.