Patna, Oct 5 (IANS) Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Sunday said that the massive Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was completed in poll-bound Bihar within the stipulated timeframe and with perfection.

He thanked over 90,000 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) for undertaking the mammoth task in poll-bound states and congratulated them on taking the lead in bringing sanctity to the electoral rolls, suggesting that the SIR will be carried out across the country.

The CEC, briefing the media after a two-day review of poll-preparedness in Bihar, said that the Election Commission has launched 17 new initiatives, some of which have already been operationalised in the state, while others will see implementation during the course of elections.

Shedding light on ECI’s extensive preparations for the Assembly elections, he informed that decisions have been taken to ease the poll process and make the entire procedure voter-friendly.

“The EC has devised a detailed layout for simplifying the polling process. Voter ID will be delivered to the electorate within 15 days, while the Voter ID card will also be issued to booth-level officers,” he said.

He further said that to avoid commotion and rush at the polling booths, it has been decided that no polling booth will have more than 1,200 voters, a marked deviation from the past.

In another similar decision, party candidates have been given relaxation to put their stalls, 100 meters distance from the polling booth – unlike earlier.

The CEC informed that for the first time, honorarium was introduced for Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), while remuneration was increased for booth-level officers, which had not happened for a long time.

“A room near the polling booth will be earmarked, where people can submit their mobile phones and collect the same after casting their votes,” he said.

“For streamlining functions and voters’ convenience, a one-stop digital platform has been launched. When polling is over, digital index cards will be available within a few days of polling, which earlier took months,” he said.

Praising the BLOs for the SIR drive, he said, “More than 90,000 booth-level officers did an exemplary and impressive job in poll-bound Bihar. Not only have you worked with the voters, helped in cleaning the voters list, but also set a precedent for fellow BLOs when such an exercise will be undertaken in their states.”

–IANS

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