ECI Secretary urges Nagaland officials to intensify SIR

Kohima, Aug 21 (SocialNews.XYZ) Election Commission of India (ECI) Secretary Binod Kumar on Friday urged Nagaland election officials to intensify efforts in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to improve the mapping percentage and ensure that electoral roll data is accurately updated.

The ECI Secretary, who since Thursday has held a series of meetings with election officials in Kohima, Chumoukedima and Dimapur districts, discussed in detail the progress of the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in Nagaland.

In Dimapur, a review meeting on the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls was held at the Conference Hall of the Deputy Commissioner's Office in the presence of the ECI Secretary.

Addressing the meeting, Binod Kumar highlighted the importance of Enumeration Forms (EFs) and stressed the need for Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) to closely monitor the work being carried out by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) at the field level.

He interacted with election officials and reviewed the challenges being faced during the field-level exercise.

The BLOs were also advised to carry out thorough verification and mapping at the grassroots level and coordinate closely with the concerned electoral officials.

Kumar emphasised the timely completion of the mapping exercise and the need for greater coordination among District Election Officers (DEOs), EROs, AEROs and BLOs to achieve the desired progress.

Following the review meeting, ECI Secretary Kumar visited two polling stations under the 3-Dimapur-III Assembly Constituency to assess the progress of the SIR exercise and its field-level implementation.

n Chumoukedima district, the ECI Secretary also reviewed the progress of the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls.

Binod Kumar urged the officials to adhere to the prescribed timeline and complete all SIR-related activities within the stipulated period.

He also called for appropriate solutions to the challenges faced by BLOs and stressed the importance of ensuring that awareness and relevant information reach citizens across the district.

The ECI Secretary appreciated the work being carried out by the BLOs and urged them to update their findings in the application within the stipulated time.

He encouraged them to discharge their duties diligently and ensure that all eligible voters are included in the electoral roll while maintaining its integrity.

The ECI Secretary said that the SIR exercise would have a "generational impact" and urged all concerned to put in greater effort, regularly review the situation and take timely steps to resolve issues and challenges.

The meeting witnessed detailed discussions and deliberations on the progress of the revision process.

The officers and BLOs apprised the Secretary of the issues and challenges encountered during the field exercise, following which suggestions and possible measures were discussed to address the challenges and ensure the smooth implementation of the SIR.

An election official said that the Election Commission had earlier directed the conduct of the SIR in 16 states and three Union Territories, including Nagaland.

He said that all recognised political parties have been requested to appoint Booth Level Agents (BLAs) for every polling booth to ensure their active participation and enhance transparency throughout the revision process.

The qualifying date for the Special Intensive Revision in Nagaland has been fixed as October 1.

According to the official, the draft electoral roll for the state would be published on September 20.

Following the filing and disposal of claims and objections between September 20 and November 18, the final Photo Electoral Roll would be published on November 22.

Source: IANS