Bhubaneswar, Jan 13: Preparations for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Odisha have reached their final stage, even though the Election Commission is yet to declare the schedule for the exercise, a senior official said on Tuesday.

Officials said the revision, being conducted after a gap of 23 years, marks a significant step in strengthening electoral infrastructure.

Booth Expansion

Additional Chief Electoral Officer and Special Secretary Sushanta Kumar Mishra said the state has been preparing for the SIR for the past five months. The number of polling booths has increased from 36,000 to nearly 43,000 with the addition of around 7,000 new centres. “Our effort is to limit the number of voters in each booth to 1,200, ensure that every eligible voter is properly registered and strengthen polling infrastructure ahead of upcoming elections,” Mishra said.

Training and Deployment

As part of the preparations, around 45,000 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have been appointed and trained in phases. Training has also been imparted to district election officers, mostly collectors, and assistant returning officers (AROs) in the rank of additional district magistrates.

Also Read: Odisha Plans Online Evaluation for Plus-II Answer Scripts

Mapping and Integration

The SIR process involves integrating voter data from the 2002 and 2025 electoral rolls to ensure continuity. Names included in earlier lists will remain valid, while new eligible voters will be added. “Nearly 70 per cent of the mapping work has been completed, and the remaining will be finalised before publication of the updated rolls,” Mishra said.

Officials emphasised that the revision would help eliminate duplication, prevent errors, and ensure inclusivity, thereby strengthening the accuracy of the voter rolls ahead of upcoming elections.