‘SIR’: Is Your Name Correctly Listed? Election Commission Steps Up Voter Verification in Pune
Pune, 14th July 2026: Deputy Election Commissioner of India Gyanesh Bharti directed officials to ensure that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is completed within the prescribed timelines, with a strong emphasis on preparing accurate and error-free voter lists. He also instructed authorities to regularly review the work of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and continuously monitor progress at every stage of the exercise.
The directions were issued during a review meeting held at the Divisional Commissioner’s office in Pune to assess the implementation of the SIR programme across the Pune division.
Senior officials present at the meeting included Election Commission of India Principal Secretary Ajoy Kumar Jha, Deputy Secretary Abhinav Agrawal, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Electoral Officer Manohar Parkar, Divisional Commissioner Sheetal Teli-Ugle, Pune Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Commissioner Vijay Suryavanshi, district collectors Jitendra Dudi, Vijay Rathod and Mainak Ghosh, Joint Commissioners Swati Deshmukh, Sanjeev Palande and Tushar Thombre, and Deputy District Election Officer Meenal Kalaskar. Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer S. Chockalingam, along with District Collectors Santosh Patil and S. Karthikeyan, participated through video conferencing.
Bharti said all officers associated with the SIR programme should treat the exercise as a top priority and carry out their responsibilities with accountability. He directed officials to promptly rectify shortcomings, maintain continuous follow-up to achieve targets on time and strictly adhere to the prescribed schedule.
He further instructed that while filling enumeration forms, the details of every voter should be carefully verified and recorded accurately to ensure error-free electoral rolls.
Chief Electoral Officer S. Chockalingam instructed Booth Level Officers to conduct door-to-door verification of every voter. He emphasised that special care should be taken to ensure that no errors remain in the electoral rolls.
He also stressed the need to complete all documentation, including applications, records, photographs and other related documents, in accordance with prescribed rules. To facilitate quicker disposal of voter complaints and objections, Chockalingam suggested that hearings in Pune district be conducted at the concerned polling stations instead of cluster-level venues.
Divisional Commissioner Sheetal Teli-Ugle presented the progress of the SIR programme in the Pune division. She said the five districts of Pune, Satara, Solapur, Kolhapur and Sangli together have 21,601,198 registered voters and 21,237 polling stations.
She informed that training of all Booth Level Officers has been completed, 47,730 Booth Level Agents have been appointed, and printing of enumeration forms has been completed.
Expressing confidence, she said all targets under the Special Intensive Revision programme would be achieved within the stipulated timeframe.
Senior officers from the Divisional Commissioner’s office and all Electoral Registration Officers from Pune city also attended the meeting.
