A large-scale voter verification and electoral roll purification exercise has begun across Nagpur district ahead of the upcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls being undertaken under the directions of the Election Commission of India (ECI). The district election administration has intensified voter mapping, door-to-door verification, photo correction, and deletion of duplicate or deceased voter entries to prepare updated electoral rolls before future elections. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have been given strict timelines to complete the groundwork, with daily progress monitoring initiated by the district administration. The electoral pre-mapping process that began in April is based on electoral roll data as of October 15, 2024.

 

Nagpur district currently has 44,94,787 registered voters, including 21,28,789 urban voters and 23,65,998 rural. Officials said, the ongoing pre-mapping exercise is aimed at identifying genuine electors and eliminating discrepancies caused by migration, redevelopment, rented accommodation shifts, duplicate registrations, and outdated entries, issues particularly common in rapidly expanding urban areas of Nagpur. Missing electors can furnish any of 12 identity proofs: Under the exercise, voters are being linked and verified against the 2002 electoral rolls along with their EPIC numbers from the 2024 rolls. Electors whose names do not appear in the 2002 rolls will be required to furnish identity proof or any of the 12 documents prescribed by ECI for verification.

 

As part of the field exercise, BLOs are visiting households to verify names, addresses, photographs, family details, and the present residential status of listed electors. The drive also includes replacement of blurred photographs with updated colour images, demographic similarity checks to detect duplicate entries, and initiation of action against suspicious or ineligible registrations.

 

Limited public awareness, reluctance delaying progress: Election authorities admitted that, progress has remained uneven across the district, with verification work ranging between 15 per cent and 60 per cent in some areas compared to higher completion rates reported elsewhere in Maharashtra. Officials attributed delays partly to limited public awareness and reluctance among some BLOs, many of whom are school teachers assigned election duties. Concerns have also been raised by public representatives regarding inadequate awareness and inconsistent implementation. In response, the administration has planned awareness camps and training programmes for BLOs and assistant returning officers. Authorities have appealed to citizens to co-operate during household verification visits and keep identity documents ready to ensure inclusion of eligible voters and timely correction of electoral records.