The Election Commission of India (ECI) has deferred the rollout of Phase III of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh due to operational difficulties and weather-related challenges in high-altitude regions.
The poll body on Thursday announced the launch of Phase III of the revision exercise across 16 states and three Union Territories. However, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh have been excluded from the current schedule because of terrain-related constraints and difficulties in field deployment.
According to the ECI, a separate schedule for these three regions will be announced later, after considering the completion of Phase II of the national Census and weather conditions, especially in snow-bound and remote areas.
Officials said the revision exercise has been synchronised with the ongoing house-listing operations under the Census to ensure better coordination and efficient deployment of administrative machinery at the ground level.
As part of the nationwide exercise, over 3.94 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will conduct door-to-door visits covering nearly 36.73 crore electors during the Enumeration Phase. The BLOs will be assisted by around 3.42 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by various political parties.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar urged voters to actively participate in the exercise by filling out Enumeration Forms.
“I appeal to all electors to enthusiastically participate in Phase III of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and fill their Enumeration Forms. SIR is being conducted to ensure that only eligible voters are included in the Electoral Roll and no ineligible names are included,” he said.
The Commission stated that the main objective of the exercise is to maintain accurate electoral rolls by ensuring that only eligible voters remain registered while preventing the inclusion of ineligible names.
