BHUBANESWAR: The State Election Commission (SEC) on Sunday launched a training programme for block and district-level officials to ensure inclusive and error-free electoral rolls for panchayat and urban local body (ULB) elections next year.
Presiding over the programme, state election commissioner Madhusudan Padhi stressed focus on ensuring that no eligible voter is left out of the door-to-door survey.
Stating that accuracy of the electoral roll was the foundation of a free and fair election, Padhi directed the officials to complete the revision exercise within the stipulated timeline and give publicity to the draft roll publication.
The SEC also asked officers to conduct special camps in tribal and remote areas, urban slums and educational institutions to maximise enrolment. The training will continue in phases at the district level, with master trainers conducting block-wise sessions next week.
Enrolment of eligible women voters, PVTGs, persons with disabilities and migrant workers, who are often left out, should be given emphasis, he said.
Padhi said there should be door-to-door verification, rationalisation of polling stations, removal of duplicate and dead voters and correction of demographic errors through use of technology.
The door-to-door survey will be conducted from October 26 to November 7. The cut-off date for new voters has already been fixed by the SEC on January 1, 2027 and the draft voter list will also be published on the same date. The final voter list will be published on February 10, 2027.
The training was virtually attended by additional district magistrates, block development officers and district panchayat officers from all 30 districts. Officers were trained on use of SAMS portal, GIS mapping of polling stations and standard operating procedure for claims and objections.
