New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday released the schedule for the third phase of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to be conducted in a phased manner across 16 states and three union territories ahead of the publication of the final voters’ list between October 1 and December 23.

The cut-off date for a voter to qualify for inclusion in the electoral list under the SIR ranges from July 1 to October 1, an official said in a statement.

The states and UTs where SIR-Phase III will be conducted include Telangana, Punjab, Karnataka, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Delhi, Nagaland, Tripura, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttarakhand, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (DNH & DD), Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim and Manipur.

With the commencement of Phase III, the SIR exercise will effectively cover the entire country, except Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

As part of the large-scale revision drive, more than 3.94 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will conduct door-to-door verification of nearly 36.73 crore electors during the Enumeration Phase. The BLOs will be assisted by around 3.42 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) nominated by various political parties.

The ECI, in a statement, said that in Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim and Manipur, the qualifying date for SIR will be July 1. The preparation, training and printing of documents in these states will begin on May 20 and is expected to continue till May 29.

House-to-House visits by Booth Level Officers (BLO) will be conducted between May 30 and June 28. The draft electoral rolls will be published on July 5, and after claims and objections, the final electoral roll will be published on September 6.

In Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (DNH & DD), the qualifying date for SIR will be July 1. The preparation, training and printing of documents in these states will begin on May 25 and is expected to continue till June 3. The draft electoral roll will be published on July 10, and the final voters’ list will be out on September 11, the ECI said in a statement.

In Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana and Chandigarh, the qualifying date for SIR will be July 1. The draft electoral rolls will be published on July 21, and the final electoral rolls will be released on September 22.

In Karnataka, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Delhi, the qualifying date of SIR will be October 1. The House-to-House visits by Booth Level Officers (BLO) will be conducted between June 30 and July 29. The draft electoral rolls will be published on August 5, and after claims and objections, the final electoral roll will be published on October 7.

In Telangana and Punjab, house visits by BLO will be held between June 25 and July 24. The draft electoral rolls will be published on July 31, and after claims and objections, the final electoral roll will be published on October 1.

In Nagaland, the draft electoral rolls will be published on September 20, and after claims and objections, the final electoral roll will be published on November 11.

In Uttarakhand, the draft electoral rolls will be published on July 14, and after claims and objections, the final electoral roll will be published on September 9.

In Tripura, the draft electoral rolls will be published on October 21, and after claims and objections, the final electoral roll will be published on December 23.

–IANS

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