HOW IS THE DRILL, SIR?

As the revision of electoral rolls starts across two NCR districts of Gautam Budh Nagar & Ghaziabad, there is confusion on the ground, with some people not being able to find the right documents and BLOS facing pressure of tight deadlines

- Anup Verma

COVERING over 47 lakh voters across the districts of Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has become a headache for most residents.

Whether they are the migrants or the residents living in high-rise society, senior citizens or first-time voters-all are reporting problems in completing the verification process.

Their grievances point to a combination of technical difficulties, insufficient documentation, limited availability of Booth Level Officers (BLOS), and a constrained time window. Questions about the practical difficulties and intent behind the ongoing exercise at this juncture arise when the Assembly elections are not scheduled in the near future are being raised.

The tedious task

In GB Nagar, 1,868 BLOS have been tasked with distributing enumeration forms to around 18.6 lakh registered voters. In Ghaziabad, 3,224 BLOs are expected to reach around 29.6 lakh voters. Every BLO will visit over 900 voters in their areas. The Election Commission has extended the Special Intensive Revision across 12 states by a week, shifting key deadlines. Enumeration and polling station rationalisation will now close on December 11, the draft roll on December 16, with claims, objections and final publication pushed to February 14, 2026.

Although the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections are still slated for 2027, several categories of voters feel that they may be left out due to procedural rigidity and the absence of proper guidance. Community representatives, political leaders, social workers, and even some government personnel have echoed concerns, suggesting that the SIR operation, which is meant to strengthen the voter database, has instead created an uncertainty across the two key districts of western UP.