Special Intensive Revision (SIR) timeframe inadequate, says Chhattisgarh Cong; seeks extension

Raipur, Nov 13 (PTI) The Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee (CPCC) on Thursday submitted a memorandum to the state's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) seeking an extension of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Under the current schedule, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are distributing enumeration forms door-to-door from November 4 to December 4.

The draft electoral roll is slated for publication on December 9, with the period for filing claims and objections running from December 9 to January 8. Hearings and verifications will take place until January 31, and the final electoral roll will be published on February 7, as per officials.

A delegation of Congress leaders led by former state minister Mohan Markam, also the convenor of the party's SIR Monitoring Committee, submitted a memorandum to the CEO, said Sushil Anand Shukla, head of the party's state communication wing.

In the memorandum, the Congress said the current timeframe is inadequate to effectively reach over two crore voters across the state and prepare accurate enumeration sheets.

Given that the next Assembly elections are due in 2028, the party said additional time would help ensure verified and error-free voter data.

The Congress cited six key reasons for its demand, including the need to ensure transparency and broad public participation in the revision process.

It pointed out that a large part of Chhattisgarh is rural, tribal, and forested, with limited communication and transport infrastructure, making it difficult for residents of remote areas to access election-related information or complete documentation on time.

The memorandum also highlighted the recent floods in parts of Bastar, which displaced several families and damaged documents, saying that expecting full participation from those still undergoing rehabilitation would be unreasonable.

It further noted that farmers and rural residents are currently engaged in paddy harvesting, leaving them with little time to participate in the revision exercise.

The party urged the Election Commission to extend the SIR deadline to ensure broader participation and the preparation of an accurate, transparent, and inclusive electoral roll for the upcoming elections.

A government public relations official here said, under the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls in Chhattisgarh, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have so far distributed enumeration forms to 1,78,04,726 voters, covering about 84 per cent of the total electorate in the state.

The SIR exercise began on November 4, and BLOs have been visiting households across the state to deliver the enumeration forms to voters.

Chhattisgarh currently has a total of 2,12,30,737 registered voters, he added.

The last SIR took place in the state in 2003. PTI TKP BNM