Our Bureau
New Delhi
The Election Commission on Thursday announced Phase III of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, covering 16 states and 3 Union territories. The exercise will not include Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh at this stage.
In a statement, the Election Commission of India said it has directed the conduct of the Special Intensive Revision in 16 states and 3 Union territories. It added that, with this step, the SIR will cover the entire country in Phase III, except Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
The poll body said the schedule for these three states and Union territories will be announced later. It said the decision was taken after considering the completion of Phase II of the Census in these areas and the weather in the upper reaches and snow-bound regions.
The Election Commission also gave details of the earlier phases. It said the first two phases of the SIR were carried out in 13 states and Union territories, covering nearly 59 crore electors as on the date of the SIR orders in those areas.
According to the statement, more than 6.3 lakh BLOs and 9.2 lakh BLAs appointed by political parties were involved in different stages of the process. The commission said these field-level workers played a key role in carrying out the revision work.
The Special Intensive Revision is an important exercise because it updates the voter list and checks electoral rolls before elections. The latest phase is expected to bring more voters under review as the Commission moves closer to a nationwide revision.
