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The Election Commission will be carrying out the phase 2 of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise of electoral rolls in 12 states and union territories — on similar lines as it conducted in Bihar, according to the announcement made by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar on Monday.The draft electoral roll in these 12 states will be published on Dec. 9, and the final list will be published on Feb. 7.The 12 states and UTs include — Kerala, West Bengal, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Puducherry, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep Islands, However, Assam, which is also among the states going to assembly polls next year, has been excluded from the list.The existing electoral list will be frozen from midnight on Monday in the 12 states and UTs where the SIR will be conducted, the CEC said during a press briefing in the national capital.How SIR will be carried outThere are around 1,000 electors in each polling station, and each assembly constituency has many polling stations. One Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) will be assigned for each assembly constituency, Kumar explained.There will be Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) attached with each constituency, who will collect Form 6 and Declaration Form for inclusion of new voters. The forms can also be submitted online, particularly by urban voters and migrant voters.The booth-level agents (BLAs) of political parties can also get the forms filled up and submit up to 50 forms a day to the BLO.The ERO, who is a sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) level officer, will prepare the draft electoral rolls. He also receives and decides on claims and objections, and prepares and publishes the final electoral rolls, he explained.Voters who will be excluded from the voter list can challenge the removal before the district magistrate. A subsequent appeal can also be moved before the chief electoral officer of the state."The exercise was successful in Bihar," Kumar said, adding that norms dictate that it should be conducted in a state before each assembly election.The revision is necessitated to remove ineligible voters, including bogus voters or those who have passed away or moved permanently to other states; while also ensuring that all eligible voters are added, he explained..Bihar SIRThe SIR exercise in Bihar, carried out earlier this year, led to the elimination of 68 lakh names from the final electoral list. However, the net exclusion was of 47 lakh, as 21 lakh new names were also added.(This is a developing story)
