SIR In Punjab From June 25: Pre-Mapping 83.69% Complete

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in Punjab is set to commence on June 25. The Election Commission of India has issued a notification in this regard. Prior to the SIR, the ongoing pre-mapping exercise in Punjab conducted in preparation for this revision has already reached 83.69% completion. BLOs (Booth Level Officers) will go door-to-door, carrying enumeration forms. To facilitate this process, a dedicated government workforce comprising 24,453 BLOs, 2,476 Supervisors, 117 EROs (Electoral Registration Officers), and 234 AEROs (Assistant Electoral Registration Officers) stands ready.

This entire process will also involve a phase for filing claims, objections, and issuing notices. During this period, eligible individuals will be included in the voter lists, while ineligible individuals will be removed. Following the completion of this entire procedure, the final voter list will be published on October 1. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anindita Mitra stated that the Special Intensive Revision of voter lists in Punjab will be conducted in a completely transparent manner. According to her, the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, has finalized all preparations for conducting the SIR across the state. Mitra added that holding dual votes constitutes a criminal offense under the Constitution of India, punishable by imprisonment for up to one year. She urged all voters to extend their full cooperation to the BLOs during this process.

Higher Pre-Mapping Coverage In Villages

Under the pre-SIR mapping exercise conducted by Punjab, mapping has been completed for 17,956,656 voters out of the state’s total electorate of 21,457,160 accounting for 83.69% of all voters. In the rural areas of Punjab, 89.58% of the mapping has been completed, whereas in urban areas, the work is 73% complete. In Mansa district, mapping has exceeded 93%, and in several specific villages, it has even surpassed the 100% mark. The SIR Process

– Under the SIR initiative, from June 25 to July 24, BLOs in Punjab will conduct door-to-door visits to assist voters in filling out their enumeration forms.

– On average, each BLO has been assigned a workload covering 300 households and 1,200 voters for the SIR exercise.

– Training for BLOs and other preparatory tasks will be conducted between June 15 and June 24.

– All voters across the state are required to fill out the relevant forms under the SIR initiative.

– As part of the SIR process, the voter list from January 1, 2003, will be cross-referenced and reconciled with the voter list for the year 2025.

– The rationalization of polling stations will be carried out on July 24, and the draft voter list will be published on July 31.

– Objections and claims regarding the voter lists may be submitted from July 31 to August 30. The disposal of these matters will take place between July 31 and September 28.

– The final voter list will be published on October 1.

Aadhaar Will Not Serve As Proof Of Identity

For the convenience of voters in the state, current voter lists have been integrated with the voter lists dating back to January 1, 2003, to ensure that voters do not face any difficulty in locating their records within the older lists. BLOs will visit households to assist voters in filling out the forms. To ensure the retrieval of these forms, BLOs will make up to three separate visits to each voter’s residence to establish contact. During the SIR process, the Aadhaar card is recognized solely as a source of identification, and *not* as proof of identity.

Parties Must Appoint BLAs: Mitra

Chief Electoral Officer Mitra has appealed to all political parties in Punjab to ensure the appointment of their respective Block Level Agents (BLAs) so that this entire exercise may be conducted smoothly and without interruption. He further stated that the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, will actively involve political parties at every stage of the SIR process.