DEHRADUN: With the upcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls on the horizon, the administration has successfully achieved over 85 per cent mapping across Uttarakhand during the pre-SIR phase. Officials have now outlined an aggressive roadmap to bridge the remaining gaps, with a comprehensive door-to-door campaign scheduled to commence in April.
The state’s election machinery is placing strategic emphasis on booths that currently report lower mapping figures, ensuring that no voter is left behind during the process.
Additional Chief Electoral Officer (ACEO) Dr Vijay Kumar Jogdande provided a detailed update on the state’s preparedness. Addressing media at the Secretariat media centre on Friday, he underscored that, in line with the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) directives, the department is meticulously compiling the absent, shifted and dead (ASD) list for every polling booth. This crucial exercise is designed to purge discrepancies and enhance the accuracy of the electoral rolls.
"To ensure the purification process is as precise as possible, we are leaving no stone unturned in identifying discrepancies booth by booth," said Dr Jogdande.
In a major push for convenience, the ECI has introduced the "Book a Call with BLO" feature, allowing voters to connect with their Booth Level Officers with a single click. Voters can access this service via the voters.eci.gov.in website or by downloading the ECI-NET mobile application. Upon booking, the designated BLO is mandated to contact the voter within 48 hours.
While statewide progress is encouraging, the top brass is aware of specific challenges in urban pockets. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Dr. BVRC Purushottam shared his insights on the ground reality with TNIE, stating, "Around 87 per cent of voters in the state have already been mapped. However, progress in districts such as Dehradun, Udham Singh Nagar, and Nainital remains comparatively low."
Dr. Purushottam added, "Particularly in urban areas, officials and staff of municipal corporations will be deployed alongside Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to expedite the SIR work." He confirmed that continuous training programmes are being rolled out to boost the efficiency and preparedness of the field staff.
The administration has urged political parties to accelerate the appointment of Booth Level Agents (BLAs) to ensure transparency. Currently, against the 11,733 polling booths in the state, only 19,116 BLAs have been appointed.
Data released by the election office reveals the following breakdown of appointments by major political entities:
• Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP): 9,276
• Indian National Congress (INC): 9,506
• Communist Party of India (Marxist): 217
• Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP): 117