Odisha Gears Up for Intensive Voter Roll Overhaul

Ahead of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Odisha, the Election Commission of India conducted a state-level training for officials. The SIR aims to update voter lists by verifying details and removing duplicates. The exercise, a first in two decades, is crucial for election accuracy.

The Election Commission of India is preparing for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Odisha this April, launching a comprehensive revision effort aimed at enhancing the accuracy of voter lists. A state-level training programme was held in Bhubaneswar to equip election officials for this initiative.

The four-day training, led by Odisha's Chief Electoral Officer RS Gopalan and hosted at the Revenue Officers Training Institute, involved Election Registration Officers, Additional EROs, and Deputy Collectors from various districts, including Bargarh, Jharsuguda, and Sundergarh. Key topics included voter list mapping with the 2002 register, data collection, and the appointment of Booth Level Agents by political parties.

The training emphasized modernizing and digitizing the electoral process, preparing officials for tasks like the digitisation of enumeration forms and running hearing camps for voter grievances. Additional Chief Electoral Officer Sushanta Kumar Mishra noted that preparatory voter mapping is near completion, with full electoral roll revisions to commence from April 1.

(With inputs from agencies.)