Mumbai, May 22 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) S Chockalingam on Friday sought to assuage the concerns linked to next month's Special Intensive Revision (SIR), and said eligible voters
will not be deleted from the rolls.
Addressing a press conference, he said the poll body has completed 72 per cent mapping of voters in the state and over 1 lakh booth level agents (BLOs) have been deployed to carry out the task.
"No eligible voter will be deleted from the rolls," the Maharashtra CEO said.
Those who have been mapped need not submit any documents. People whose mapping has been done but there are anomalies and also those whose mapping has not been done will have to provide documents.
The poll official said guidelines specified by the Election Commission of India (ECI) will be followed for those who have been left out from the process.
Chockalingam said the SIR process in the state will begin from June 20 to 29.
BLOs will visit voters' houses, distribute enumeration forms and collect filled forms from June 30 to July 29. The publication of draft rolls will be done on August 5.
From August 5 to September 4, people can file claims and objections on draft rolls and disposal of objections will be done until October 3.
The final electoral rolls will be done by October 7.
So far, political parties have appointed 1,13,000 booth-level agents (BLAs) for the process. The BJP has appointed 52,100 BLAs, Congress (17,400), Shiv Sena (17,800), Shiv Sena-UBT (10,000), NCP (6,400), NCP-SP (4,400), MNS (3,800), others (1,050) and BSP (193), he said.
He said the BLAs will also be given a list of those who have been excluded from the list and they can file an appeal in six days after the receipt of the same.
On pre-filled enumeration forms, he said these forms will include the voters' current details as recorded in the electoral roll. Information relating to the voter or his/her parents/grandparents can be filled by the voter. Voters may also provide a new photograph.
He said voters are advised to preserve this information and provide it to the identity card-holding registration officer visiting during the house-to-house survey. Through the media, voters are being appealed to actively participate in this programme so that electoral rolls remain error-free, accurate, and inclusive of all eligible voters.
If a house is found locked during the visit, the BLO will make at least three attempts to visit the concerned household and maintain proper records of such visits. BLOs will revisit voters' homes to collect duly-filled and signed enumeration forms. Voters may also submit the forms online.
Based on the enumeration forms received from voters, draft electoral rolls will be published on August 5, he said.
On identity proof, he said Aadhaar may be used as an identity proof.
However, under Section 9 of the Aadhaar Act, 2026, Aadhaar card shall not be treated as proof of citizenship. PTI PR NP
