Bhubaneswar: Over 45,000 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) began a massive door-to-door survey across Odisha on Saturday as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) R. S. Gopalan said.
The statewide exercise was launched from Puri, the holy city associated with Lord Jagannath, and will cover all 147 Assembly constituencies. As many as 45,255 BLOs have been deployed for the revision drive, which will continue from May 30 to June 28.
Gopalan said nearly 75 per cent of electors will only need to sign the prescribed forms and will not be required to submit any documents during the process. He added that no genuine voter will face any difficulty in the exercise.
The CEO said the BLOs have already mapped around 95 per cent of voters with the 2002 electoral roll, the last time such a revision exercise was carried out in the state.
Urging citizens not to be misled by rumours, Gopalan said the process would be conducted peacefully and strictly in accordance with rules.
In view of the prevailing heatwave conditions, BLOs have been instructed to conduct door-to-door visits before 11 a.m. daily and remain available at polling stations from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. to assist electors.
During the exercise, BLOs will distribute enumeration forms, help voters fill them up, and collect the completed forms. Each form will contain personal details, family information, and references linked to the 2002 electoral roll. Officers will also verify entries and correct minor discrepancies during the field verification process.
Gopalan further directed BLOs to ensure that no eligible voter is left out and no ineligible name is included in the updated electoral roll.
The draft electoral roll will be published on July 5, while the final electoral list will be released on September 6, he added.
