Burhanpur, Nov 22 (IANS) The administration in Burhanpur district, Madhya Pradesh, is working diligently to ensure the timely completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. SIR-related tasks are now being carried out both during the day and late into the night to ensure that all forms are uploaded online without delay.

Rajesh Patidar, the Burhanpur District SIR Officer, told IANS that the work related to the SIR is steadily gaining momentum in the district. He said that Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) are conducting door-to-door verification, while the office teams continue uploading completed forms until late hours to keep the process on track.

Patidar stated that the administration is making every effort to finish the SIR process in both Assembly constituencies of the district before the prescribed deadline. To achieve this, continuous monitoring and coordinated data entry are being carried out through a team-based approach. With this proactive effort, the administration expects the voter list update to be completed successfully and without any delay.

The BJP has welcomed the clean-up exercise, calling it a step toward ensuring greater transparency in the electoral rolls.

However, the exercise has drawn sharp opposition from several parties. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday wrote to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, objecting to the SIR. She claimed that the manner in which the exercise is being imposed on electoral officials and citizens is “unplanned,” “chaotic,” and “dangerous.” CM Banerjee is scheduled to address an anti-SIR rally at Bangaon in North 24 Parganas district on November 25.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission on November 4 launched the second phase of the SIR of electoral rolls in nine states and three Union Territories, covering around 51 crore voters. Booth-level officers have begun distributing enumeration forms to electors as part of the process.

During the enumeration phase, which will continue until December 4, more than 5.3 lakh BLOs will visit households at least three times for the distribution and collection of forms.

After the rally, Banerjee will participate in a protest march at Bangaon. This will be her second anti-SIR rally and protest march, following the first one held in Kolkata on November 4.

In addition to BLOs, 7.64 lakh BLAs appointed by political parties, 10,448 electoral registration officers and assistant EROs, and 321 district election officers have been deployed to conduct the SIR exercise in a smooth, orderly, and voter-friendly manner.

The 12 states and Union Territories where the SIR is being conducted are the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Among these, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, and Puducherry are scheduled to go to the polls in 2026.

The first phase of the SIR exercise was carried out in Bihar earlier this year, after which more than 68 lakh names were removed from the electoral rolls.

–IANS

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