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NEW DELHI: More than 45,000 booth-level officers began a statewide door-to-door survey across Odisha on Saturday as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, Chief Electoral Officer R S Gopalan said.The month-long exercise, which will continue until June 28, was launched from Puri and covers all 147 Assembly constituencies in the state. A total of 45,255 BLOs have been deployed to carry out the revision process.“Nearly 75 per cent of the electors have to only sign on the required forms, and do not need any document for the SIR. No genuine citizen will face any difficulty during the SIR,” Gopalan told reporters.According to the CEO, the groundwork for the exercise has already achieved significant progress, with nearly 95 per cent of voters matched with the 2002 electoral roll, the last time a Special Intensive Revision was undertaken in Odisha.“I also request people not to pay heed to unfounded rumours (surrounding the SIR exercise). We will make sure the process is completed as per rules and peacefully,” Gopalan said.To minimise the impact of the ongoing heatwave, BLOs will conduct house visits before 11 am and remain available at polling booths between 3 pm and 5 pm each day.As part of the exercise, officials will distribute enumeration forms, assist voters in filling them out and collect the completed documents. The forms include personal details, family information and records linked to the 2002 electoral roll.The officers will also verify voter information and rectify minor discrepancies during the survey process.Gopalan said BLOs have been directed to ensure that every eligible voter is included in the rolls while preventing the inclusion of ineligible names.The draft electoral roll is scheduled to be published on July 5, while the final voter list will be released on September 6.
