Deputy Commissioner S.J. Somashekar said that 86 per cent digitisation has been completed under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Kodagu district. He was speaking after handing over the list of voters who have permanently shifted, have duplicate entries, or have not submitted SIR forms due to various reasons (ASDDO category) to representatives of political parties at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Madikeri.
The Deputy Commissioner said that SIR forms had been distributed to all 4,68,657 voters in the district. Of these, 4,03,576 forms have already been digitised, taking the district’s progress beyond 86 per cent. He urged political parties to independently verify the progress at their respective levels.
He further stated that 65,018 voters are yet to submit their SIR forms due to reasons such as death, migration, prolonged absence or other factors. Political parties were requested to take note of these cases and extend cooperation in completing the revision process. Somashekar urged all stakeholders to immediately bring any discrepancies noticed in the SIR process to the notice of the Election Department. Stressing that no eligible voter should be left out of the electoral roll, he said every stakeholder has a shared responsibility in ensuring the accuracy of the revision process.
Congress leader Thennira Maina said that political parties are actively participating in the SIR exercise. He stressed that special attention should be given to residents of Hadis to ensure maximum coverage and urged Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to build the confidence of local residents while carrying out the survey.
He pointed out that in urban and town areas many residents are unaware of who their respective BLOs are. Therefore, he suggested that nodal officers and BLOs should work in close coordination to ensure the successful completion of the SIR process. Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sajil Krishna said the SIR process was progressing smoothly in the district and added that the party had undertaken awareness programmes to encourage voter participation.
Bahujan Samaj Party District President Divil Kumar stressed the need to ensure that residents of Hadis are not excluded from the electoral rolls and urged the Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP) Department to intensify awareness programmes in every Hadi. Janata Dal (Secular) leader Gulabi Janardhan and Communist Party of India District Secretary H.P. Ramesh also offered several suggestions regarding the implementation of the SIR process. Additional Deputy Commissioner Dr. Sahana S. Hadimani briefed the gathering on the progress of the SIR exercise. Deputy Tahsildar Nitin Chakki, Election Officer Mahesh, Anil Kumar and others were present.
