Bhubaneswar

Odisha on Saturday began a large-scale voter verification exercise under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) programme, with more than 45,000 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) conducting door-to-door surveys across the state.

Chief Electoral Officer R. S. Gopalan said the month-long exercise started from Puri and covers all 147 Assembly constituencies. The survey will continue until June 28 as part of efforts to update and verify the state's electoral rolls.

Addressing reporters, Gopalan noted that nearly three-fourths of voters would only be required to sign the prescribed forms and would not need to submit any supporting documents. He assured citizens that genuine voters would not face any inconvenience during the revision process.

The CEO said significant groundwork had already been completed, with approximately 95 per cent of voters successfully linked to the 2002 electoral roll, the last time such an intensive revision was undertaken in Odisha.

Appealing to the public to cooperate with the exercise, he urged people not to be influenced by misinformation or rumours surrounding the revision process. He emphasised that the entire exercise would be carried out strictly according to established rules and in a peaceful manner.

Considering the prevailing heatwave conditions, BLOs have been instructed to conduct household visits before 11 a.m. and remain available at polling booths between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. each day.

During the survey, BLOs will distribute enumeration forms, assist voters in completing them, and collect the filled-in documents. The forms seek information related to personal details, family particulars, and references linked to the 2002 voter list.

Officials will also verify the information provided and rectify minor discrepancies wherever necessary. According to Gopalan, BLOs have been directed to ensure that every eligible voter is included in the electoral rolls while preventing the addition of ineligible names.

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The draft electoral roll is scheduled to be published on July 5, while the final updated voter list will be released on September 6.