Preparatory work for special intensive revision of electoral rolls begins in Puducherry

PUDUCHERRY: Preparatory work for the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has begun in the Union territory of Puducherry. This includes the printing of unique enumeration forms (EFs) and the training of booth-level officers (BLOs), electoral registration officers (EROs), and assistant EROs (AEROs) between Oct 28 and Nov 3.The Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered the SIR in Puducherry after 24 years, with the last intensive revision conducted with Jan 1, 2002, as the qualifying date. This is to ensure that the electoral rolls are accurate and error-free, said Chief Electoral Officer P Jawahar in a release.The BLOs will conduct house-to-house visits, distribute pre-filled Electoral Rolls (ERs) to all existing electors, collect the filled forms, identify absent, shifted, dead or duplicate voters, and gather details of newly eligible electors from Nov 4 to Dec 4. Each household will be visited at least three times to ensure no elector is left out.Existing electors will also have the facility to download pre-filled ERs and upload filled-in forms and documents online. For new electors (18 years or more as of Jan 1, 2026) and to-be-electors (those who will attain 18 years as of April 1, 2026, July 1, 2026, and Oct 1, 2026), applications in Form 6, along with a declaration form in the prescribed format, will be provided by the BLO during house-to-house visits.The election department will publish the draft electoral rolls on Dec 9. It will receive claims and objections from the public from Dec 9 to Jan 8 next year, verify them from Dec 9 to Jan 31 next year, and publish the final electoral rolls on Feb 7 next year.The election department will carry out a rationalisation of polling stations by Dec 4, 2025, during the pre-revision period, ensuring that each polling station has no more than 1,200 electors for ease of access by the public.For further information, people may contact their booth-level officer through ECI's book-a-call facility available on ECINET – Voters’ Service Portal (https://voters.eci.gov.in/) or call the Voter Helpline Number (1950). People may also approach the ERO office using the contact details available on the website of the office of the CEO, Puducherry (https://ceopuducherry.py.gov.in/).