Those mapped before SIR don’t need to give docus during revision, says Maha chief electoral officer

Priyanka Kakodkar

Mumbai: Citizens in the state who have been successfully mapped (from the 2002 voter list to the latest voter list) ahead of the special intensive revision (SIR) in Maharashtra will not be required to furnish documents when the enumerators visit. However, those whose mapping showed anomalies or citizens who did not participate in this at all will need to show one of 11 documents in order to be on the voter list after the SIR, the state’s chief electoral officer S Chockalingam said on Friday.

This SIR is an exercise to verify the names in the voter list. It will seek to match current voter details with records available in the 2002 electoral roll of the voter or their parents or grandparents.

For the SIR, physical visits by enumerators will take place between June 30 and July 29. The draft electoral roll will be published on Aug 5, and the final roll will be published on Oct 7. The qualifying date for the revision is Oct 1, 2026. The state has 9.9 crore voters.

The designated booth level officers (BLOs) will conduct house-to-house visits and distribute pre-filled enumeration forms. The information needs to be verified by the voter, and the form has to be signed. The enumerator will check if the information on the form is correct or needs to be changed. They will also check on absent, shifted, dead or duplicate voters. Voters will also have to provide a new photograph.

Prior to the BLOs’ visit, voters who have not been mapped can access ECI’s website http://voters.eci.gov.in to keep their details ready. “Voters can check their 2002 records of those of their parents from any part of the country, not just in their own city or state,” Chockalingam said.

If the house is found locked during the visit, a family member can fill the form. “The BLO will undertake three visits. Even after the draft electoral roll is published, people can fill form 6 for inclusion in the electoral roll,” Chockalingam said. He also said that listing the Aadhaar number on the form was not mandatory. Also, the Aadhaar document was only a proof of identity, not citizenship.

“The draft voter list will be published in multiple places in both physical and electronic form so voters can check their names,” Chockalingam said. This includes the website of the chief electoral officer, district electoral officer, BLOs and booth level agents (BLA) of political parties. In addition, after the draft roll is published, those whose names could not be matched or showed discrepancies will be displayed at local self-govt offices.

Asked about the challenges that will be faced by those living in buildings which are being redeveloped, he said, “The election rules only look at the resident of a place at that point in time, not temporary or permanent. A person who has shifted is expected to fill a form for that place to show he has shifted.”

The last SIR was conducted in 2002-04 and took 13 months to complete. Asked whether it can be finished in such a short time-span, Chockalingam said, “We can always ask for an extension.”

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