Election Commission Announces Special Voter List Revision Drive in Karnataka and 15 Other States
Large scale verification campaign to begin from May 20 with officials conducting door to door checks across multiple states.
New Delhi: The Election Commission of India has announced the third phase of its Special Intensive Revision campaign aimed at making voter lists more accurate, transparent, and free from errors.
The nationwide drive will begin on May 20 and will cover 16 states and three Union Territories, including Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab, Delhi, and Telangana. Under this initiative, officials will carry out door to door verification of voter lists to identify errors and remove names of ineligible voters.
According to details released by the Election Commission, nearly 36.73 crore voters will be covered during this phase of the campaign. To conduct the massive verification process, more than 3.94 lakh Booth Level Officers have been deployed across the country.
In addition, around 3.42 lakh Booth Level Agents representing political parties will also participate in monitoring and assisting the process to ensure transparency and public confidence.
The Commission stated that the first two phases of the revision exercise have already been completed in 13 states, where verification of nearly 59 crore voters was carried out.
Certain regions including Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh have currently been excluded from this phase due to snowfall, difficult terrain, and the ongoing second phase of the census process. The Election Commission said separate schedules will be announced for these areas at a later stage.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar appealed to citizens to cooperate fully with officials during the campaign. He said that an accurate voter list is essential for a strong democracy and urged people to submit their enumeration forms to ensure that no eligible voter is left out.
Political observers believe the revision drive is a major administrative exercise ahead of future elections and could help reduce the chances of bogus voting.
The Election Commission also clarified that the process will help new voters register their names, while also assisting those who have changed addresses or need corrections in their voter details and identity records.