
Maharashtra to use 2002 as base year for intensive electoral roll revision, says Chockalingam
initiates Bihar-like checks in the state, chief electoral officer S Chockalingam told TOI.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
He said the last intensive revision was conducted in 2002, which will serve as the basis for the upcoming revision in Maharashtra. The assembly constituency-wise data from 2002 has been forwarded to the EC.
The officer explained that in Bihar, the last intensive revision took place in 2003, and that year has been selected as the cut-off for the current 'special intensive revision' ahead of the assembly elections in the northern state.
Chockalingam said, "The intensive review is held periodically after 20-25 years. In Maharashtra, it was last done in 2002. Hence, the electoral roll of 2002 will be the basis of the future intensive revision. The timeline and schedule will be decided by the EC."
Senior officials from the election office told TOI that the intensive revision will help eliminate fake names from the electoral roll. Shashikant Mangrule, the deputy district election officer of Nashik, said master trainers for booth-level officers have been trained for the intensive revision and are now training BLOs locally.
Chockalingam added that BLOs must visit every home to verify each voter on the current electoral roll during the intensive revision. The exercise is managed through a mobile application provided by the EC.
"Every voter has to be verified. The task is huge and time-consuming. Voters whose names were in the last intensive revision in 2002 in Maharashtra are only required to personally sign a form. However, people whose names were added later have to provide proof of residence and citizenship to the BLOs during the exercise aimed at removing voters who have died or permanently shifted," the officer said.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Chockalingam said training for BLOs was on and included familiarisation with all types of revisions, including summary and intensive revisions.
Mangrule said voter data from 2002, according to the then-existing assembly segments, had been sent to the EC. "The EC has also started training master trainers who will, in turn, guide the BLOs for the exercise. They have been asked to be ready for the exercise, though the decision has not been announced yet," he said.
Sagar Shirke, the talathi of Ojhar village in Niphad taluka, who attended the training, said: "We were told about the exercise going on in Bihar. We were explained how it has to be conducted, how to edit the pre-filled information of the existing voters, how to add, verify and submit documents."
He added, "We have been asked to be ready for a house-to-house survey, which does not happen in summary revision. In the usual summary revision, we are limited to filling in various forms of addition, shifting, and deletion of voters' names."

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Bihar voter list drive set to enter crucial verification phase from August 1
As Phase 1 of Bihar's Special Intensive Revision (SIR)-submission of enumeration forms-nears completion with over 88% electors covered, the focus shifts to the more crucial Phase 2, where document verification will decide not only valid Bihar voters but also who qualifies as an Indian citizen. This two-month phase-from August 1 to September 30, when the final Bihar roll will be released-is set to carry major electoral and political implications. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category Digital Marketing Cybersecurity Finance Design Thinking PGDM Technology MCA healthcare Operations Management Data Analytics Product Management Others Artificial Intelligence Management Data Science Healthcare Project Management Data Science Leadership Degree CXO others Public Policy MBA Skills you'll gain: Digital Marketing Strategy Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & Content Marketing Social Media Marketing & Advertising Data Analytics & Measurement Duration: 24 Weeks Indian School of Business Professional Certificate Programme in Digital Marketing Starts on Jun 26, 2024 Get Details Skills you'll gain: Digital Marketing Strategies Customer Journey Mapping Paid Advertising Campaign Management Emerging Technologies in Digital Marketing Duration: 12 Weeks Indian School of Business Digital Marketing and Analytics Starts on May 14, 2024 Get Details Reason: Over the next two months, the process will open for "claims" to add names, "objections" to existing entries, and crucial "suo motu" inquiries against suspected foreign nationals-the latter likely to spark intense debate ahead of the Bihar assembly polls. The stage is already set, with ECI sources indicating last week that a "large number of people from Nepal, Bangladesh and Myanmar" were found by BLOs, many of whom had managed to obtain documents such as Aadhaar, and ration cards. Live Events ET takes a look at what will happen from August 1 Over 88% of Bihar's voters-6.81 cr of 7.89 cr-have submitted enumeration forms, so most are expected in the draft roll. The ECI has set July 25 for form submissions but allowed until September 29 to add mandatory documents, including self and parental birth proof. From August 1, document verification becomes key as the window opens for filing "claims" and "objections" until September 1. These will be displayed daily on the CEO website and at Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) offices. Significantly, there will be political oversight, with EROs required to share lists weekly with parties. Roll observers will also conduct 'super checks' on all requests. SIR Phase 2: Verification time In phase 2, SIR will shift from the BLO stage to the ERO/Assistant ERO stage. Once the draft roll is published, the ERO will scrutinise the eligibility of electors using submitted documents and field reports, and address all "claims" and "objections" by September 25. Verified entries will be uploaded on ECINET for inclusion in the final roll. The final electoral roll will be published on September 30. In the red If the ERO doubts an elector's eligibility, he can initiate a "suo motu" inquiry and issue a notice asking why the name should not be removed. The decision will be based on field inquiries, documentation, or other evidence, and a "speaking order" with justification will be issued. Such cases will also be referred to the "competent authority" under the Citizenship Act, 1955. Aggrieved persons may appeal to the district collector within 15 days of the ERO order, and subsequently to the CEO within 30 days of the collector's decision.


Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
EC flags 35L voters in Bihar as ‘untraceable'
Patna: The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday disclosed that more than 35.69 lakh electors in Bihar were found "traceless" at their current addresses during door-to-door verification by booth level officers (BLOs), carried out under the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which commenced on June 25. These "missing" electors now face the possibility of being removed from the electoral rolls if their status is not confirmed by July 25. According to the data shared by the EC, out of the 35,69,435 electors not located at their given addresses, 12,55,620 (1.59%) are believed to be deceased. "17,37,336 electors probably permanently shifted elsewhere while the remaining 5,76,479 electors could have enrolled at multiple places," read a press release signed by EC assistant director Apurva Kumar Singh on Wednesday. The report added that more than 54 lakh electors — 6.85% of the total 7,89,69,844 registered voters in Bihar — have yet to submit their enumeration forms as the SIR exercise remains in progress. Calling for a reverification of the electors marked as "missing," the EC announced that their details would be shared with district presidents of political parties and their booth-level agents to help ascertain their status. "In order to re-verify the electors who have not been found at their addresses even after three visits by BLOs — those probably deceased, permanently shifted or enrolled at multiple places —this information will also be shared with district presidents of political parties and 1.5 lakh booth level agents appointed by them from Thursday onwards so that the exact status of such electors can be confirmed by them before July 25," the EC said. However, the announcement triggered a sharp reaction from leaders of the INDIA bloc, who accused the EC of working under a hidden agenda. "A large number of migrant workers from Bihar work outside the state and they return only during festive seasons. How can they be found at home?" asked AICC national media panellist Prem Chandra Mishra, claiming that their worst fears were being realised. He questioned the methodology used by BLOs, saying they were neither providing receipts to electors nor affixing any verification stickers at homes. "They are not giving any proof to the electors and acting as per their whims," Mishra alleged, adding that the EC "should change its mindset about Bihar." RJD's national principal general secretary Abdul Bari Siddiqui also raised concerns about the timing of the EC's assessment. "How can they find migrant workers at home when they are away for work? The EC team is making excuses to delete names of electors, but we won't stay silent," he said, adding that if the EC had genuine intentions, it would have begun the drive at least six months earlier. "Now they want to prove the electors are away to delete their names," he alleged. State CPI-ML secretary Kunal also questioned the urgency. "We fail to understand the EC's restlessness to 'delete' names of voters. The SIR drive is still under progress. The draft electoral roll will be published on Aug 1 and claims and objections can be filed up to Sept 1. So how can anyone say someone is not present at their address? The fact is that the EC wants to impose 'votebandi'," Kunal said. Meanwhile, the EC said special camps were being set up in all 5,683 wards across the 261 urban local bodies (ULBs) in Bihar to ensure that no eligible elector is left out. "People who have temporarily migrated outside Bihar can also fill the enumeration form online using their mobile phones through the ECINet App or by visiting They may also download the pre-filled enumeration form and submit it to BLOs directly or via family members using WhatsApp or any other available medium," the EC said.


The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Bihar SIR: Only 6.85% of voters yet to submit their enumeration forms
Only 6.85% of voters are yet to submit their enumeration forms in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) said on Wednesday (July 16, 2025). Out of the 7,89,69,844 total electors, 4.5% have not been found at their addresses, 1.59% have deceased, 0.73% are enrolled at multiple places and 2.2% have been found to have probably permanently shifted so far, the poll body said in a statement. As on Wednesday, 6,99,92,926 or 88.65% of the existing electors have given their enumeration forms to be included in the draft electoral roll to be published on August 1, 2025. 'I thank all eligible electors of Bihar for actively participating in the much needed cleaning of the electoral rolls,' Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said. The poll body said that people who have temporarily migrated outside Bihar can also fill the enumeration form online using their mobile phones through the ECINet App or through the voters' service portal ( They may also download the pre-filled enumeration form and share their filled forms with BLOs directly or through family via WhatsApp or any medium. In order to re-verify the electors who have not been found at their addresses even after 3 visits of BLOs, probably deceased or permanently shifted or having enrolled at multiple places, this information will also be shared with district presidents of political parties or the 1.5 Lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by them from Thursday onwards. The exact status of such electors can be confirmed by them before July 25, which is the last date for submission of forms. To ensure that no eligible elector is left out, special camps are also being set up in all the 5,683 wards of all 261 urban local bodies (ULBs) in the State.