ECI Secretary directs officials to improve quality of electoral rolls

Metro India News | RANGA REDDY 

Election Commission of India (ECI) Secretary Naveen Kumar has directed officials to fully utilize the extended deadline until August 10 for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with a focus on improving the quality and accuracy of the voter database. The directions were issued during a review meeting on the implementation of the Special Intensive Revision program held at the Rangareddy District Collectorate on Saturday. Addressing the meeting, Secretary  Naveen Kumar appreciated the efforts of district officials and election staff in carrying out the revision exercise.

He praised the voter awareness campaigns and form-filling drives conducted across the district, saying they had strengthened public confidence in the electoral process. He also directed Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) to conduct surprise inspections to verify the quality of the work being carried out. Secretary  Naveen Kumar stressed that the rationalization of polling stations should be undertaken with utmost care. Government buildings should be given preference for polling stations wherever available, while private buildings should be used only in exceptional circumstances, he stated.

Referring to complaints received by the Election Commission, the Secretary said some voters had reported difficulty in locating their names in the electoral roll and claimed that Booth Level Officers were not readily available. He instructed BLOs to extend full cooperation to the public by accepting applications promptly and providing clear guidance on the electoral process. ECI Secretary Naveen Kumar urged the administration to maintain the same level of commitment and complete the Special Intensive Revision programme with the highest standards of quality.

District Election Officer and Collector C. Narayana Reddy informed the meeting that the Special Intensive Revision was being implemented transparently and in accordance with the Election Commission's guidelines, with quality as the primary objective. He said the district has a total of 3,501 polling stations and 3,699,743 registered voters, with an average of 1,056 voters per polling station.  The Collector stated that 63.53% of the voter mapping exercise had been completed, with the remaining work being expedited.

The Collector also said proposals were being examined to relocate polling stations that are currently situated far from gated communities, with the objective of establishing polling stations within or closer to those communities wherever feasible to improve voter convenience. Following the review meeting, ECI Secretary Naveen Kumar, accompanied by Additional Collector K. Kiranmayi, visited Kongara, Bongulur, and LB Nagar to inspect the Special Intensive Revision process on the ground. He interacted with Booth Level Officers to assess the implementation of the program, understand operational challenges, and gather feedback on public participation.