SIR drive rolled out in Dharwad; door-to-door voter check begins

Hubballi/Dharwad: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, directed by the Election Commission of India (ECI), began on Tuesday in Dharwad district and will continue till July 29, with booth-level officers (BLOs) undertaking door-to-door verification across all seven assembly constituencies.On Tuesday, BLOs began distributing enumeration forms during household visits and will return after three to four days to collect the filled forms.Despite the controversy, the district administration has stepped up awareness efforts and mobilised election machinery for the exercise. On Monday, deputy commissioner and district election officer Snehal R flagged off a mega awareness rally at the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation office in Dharwad.

Addressing participants, she stressed the need for an accurate, error-free electoral roll and urged all eligible voters to fill and submit the enumeration form.ZP CEO and SVEEP nodal officer Bhuvanesh Patil said the SIR is crucial for strengthening democracy and appealed to political parties, young voters, BLOs, booth-level agents and the public to actively participate in the process.Hundreds of officials, election personnel, first-time voters and citizens joined the rally, spreading the message of an “error-free electoral roll – strong democracy”.

In Hubballi, the SIR exercise was launched as per ECI directions, with BLOs visiting homes to distribute enumeration forms. DC Snehal R handed over forms to MLA Mahesh Tenginkai and MLC F H Jakappanavar at their residences.She said BLOs will conduct door-to-door visits between June 29 and July 29, urging voters to fill and return the forms. The draft electoral roll will be published on Aug 5, followed by a one-and-a-half-month window for claims and objections, with the final roll to be published on Oct 7.Snehal R said the SIR has three objectives: to enrol every eligible citizen, remove ineligible voters and correct details such as name and address..