Parties urged to appoint BLAs for SIR

Patiala/Amritsar: Election authorities have stepped up preparations, urging political parties to ensure timely participation for smooth execution of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across Punjab.In Patiala, district election officer-cum-deputy commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal asked parties to appoint booth level agents (BLAs) at the earliest, stressing their key role in ensuring transparency. He said the exercise aimed at including all eligible voters and removing ineligible names, warning that duplicate voting was punishable with up to one year's imprisonment.Door-to-door verification by booth level officers (BLOs) will be carried out from June 25 to July 24. Patiala has deployed 1,786 BLOs, 185 supervisors, 8 EROs and 16 AEROs, with training scheduled from June 15 to 24. The district has already achieved 82.82% mapping with the 2003 electoral rolls, the benchmark for the current revision.Aggarwal said a toll-free helpline (1950) and a district help desk would support voters. Only AAP, Congress and BSP have so far appointed district representatives.In Amritsar, DC Dalwinderjit Singh directed officials across 11 assembly segments to ensure effective implementation. The district has deployed 2,134 BLOs along with additional AEROs, supervisors and master trainers. BLO training will be held from June 15 to 20, while the draft electoral roll will be published on July 31.