SIR in Rajasthan: Review meeting held with representatives of political parties

Jaipur, January 13 (IANS): In compliance with the directions of the Election Commission of India (ECI), the Special Intensive Revision–2026 of electoral rolls in Rajasthan is being carried out in a systematic, transparent, and time-bound manner.

As part of this process, a comprehensive review of the ongoing revision work was conducted on Tuesday at the Secretariat by the Special Roll Observer appointed by the ECI.

Rajasthan Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Naveen Mahajan, told that the Special Roll Observer, Aditi Singh, reviewed the progress of the Special Intensive Revision–2026 during a detailed meeting held at the Secretariat.

The meeting focused on various stages and activities of the revision process and was attended by representatives of recognised political parties of the state, ensuring participatory oversight and transparency.

The CEO said that a large administrative machinery has been mobilised for the successful implementation of this extensive poll exercise.

A total of 41 District Election Officers, 200 Electoral Registration Officers, more than 854 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers, 6,373 Booth-Level Officer (BLO) Supervisors, 61,404 BLOs, over 2.03 lakh volunteers, and more than 1.06 lakh Booth Level Agents are actively engaged in the campaign.

The Special Intensive Revision is being conducted across 200 Assembly constituencies in 41 districts of Rajasthan.

Explaining the key activities of the electoral roll revision, CEO Mahajan said that during the pre-enumeration phase, voters were categorised into four groups based on their date of birth and the final SIR electoral roll of 2002.

"The state-level database mapping was carried out, BLOs were provided with necessary training and resources, and the 2002 electoral rolls were made available for verification."

"Inter-assembly and inter-state coordination was also established, resulting in successful mapping of nearly 70 per cent of voters even before the enumeration phase began," the CEO added.

He also told that the ECI announced the SIR in 199 Assembly constituencies (excluding Anta Assembly Constituency) on October 27, 2025.

"Enumeration forms were issued to 5.46 crore voters, of whom 5.04 crore were included in the draft electoral roll."

Of these, 98.36 per cent were successfully mapped with the 2002 electoral roll, CEO Mahajan said.

"The draft electoral roll was published on December 16, 2025, while that for the Anta Assembly Constituency was published on January 12, 2026. During this period, the number of polling stations was rationalised and increased from 52,469 to 61,404 to improve voter convenience."

Highlighting the transparency measures, the CEO said that ASD (Absentee, Shifted, and Dead) lists were shared with all political parties.

"The draft electoral roll, claims and objections details, and lists of excluded voters have been displayed at polling stations, Panchayat and Urban Local Body offices, and on the official websites of the Chief Electoral Officer and District Election Officers. During the notice period from December 16, 2025, to February 7, 2026, notices were issued to nearly 8.28 lakh voters seeking submission of documents. Additional roll supervisors have been deployed to ensure effective monitoring so that no eligible voter is excluded from the final electoral roll."

CEO Mahajan also said that roll supervisors have been directed to visit each district at least three times -- during the receipt of claims and objections, their disposal, and at the time of publication of the final electoral roll -- to review field-level work and provide necessary guidance.

The CEO is regularly briefing the media to keep the public informed about the progress of the Special Intensive Revision–2026.

Officials from election departments of other states have also visited Rajasthan to study and replicate the best practices adopted during the revision process.

The meeting was attended by representatives of recognised political parties, divisional in-charge officers, and Electoral Registration Officers from Shahpura, Bassi, Chomu, and Hawamahal.

--IANS

arc/khz