Bhubaneswar: The Election Commission of India has issued directives to commence the third phase of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls across 16 states and 3 union territories, including Odisha.
This scheduling has been strategically aligned with the ongoing house-listing process for the national census to ensure data accuracy and administrative efficiency.
Odisha Chief Electoral Officer Shri R Santhanagopalan indicated that this comprehensive door-to-door verification drive aims to streamline the voter list.
While the revision is proceeding in most parts of the country, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh have been excluded from this specific timeline due to adverse weather conditions and their specific census schedules.
In Odisha, Shri R Santhanagopalan highlighted the massive scale of the operation, noting that approximately 38,123 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will be visiting households to verify voter credentials.
To support this exercise and ensure transparency, political parties have deployed 27,723 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) across the state.
The CEO emphasized the importance of political participation, urging all parties to appoint an agent for every single booth to maintain a clean and fair revision process.
The Special Intensive Revision follows two successful previous phases that covered 13 states and union territories, involving the verification of nearly 59 crore voters. Nationwide, those efforts utilized over 6.3 lakh BLOs and 9.2 lakh BLAs.
Shri R Santhanagopalan and the commission remain focused on eliminating discrepancies and ensuring that no eligible citizen is left out of the electoral process ahead of upcoming polls.