Make sure BLOs are not under pressure: UP CEO tells DMs as SIR timeline extended

“Officers and employees, particularly BLOs, need not feel mentally burdened as the revised schedule allows an adequate buffer to finish the digitisation and verification tasks smoothly. Those BLOs who have fallen behind for any reason should be given the required support to ensure timely completion,” he told district election officers during a virtual meeting on Sunday.

Uttar Pradesh chief electoral officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa has directed district election officers (DMs) to make sure that their subordinate staff, especially booth-level officers (BLOs), are not under undue pressure during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. He emphasised that the one-week extension granted by the Election Commission provides sufficient time to complete all pending work.

UP CEO Navdeep Rinwa (File)

“Officers and employees, particularly BLOs, need not feel mentally burdened as the revised schedule allows an adequate buffer to finish the digitisation and verification tasks smoothly. Those BLOs who have fallen behind for any reason should be given the required support to ensure timely completion,” he told district election officers during a virtual meeting on Sunday.

As per the revised schedule announced by the Election Commission on Sunday, the enumeration period and rationalisation of polling stations will now continue until December 11, 2025. Control table updation and preparation of manuscript rolls will take place from December 12 to 15.

The draft electoral rolls will be published on December 16, and claims and objections will be accepted until January 15, 2026. Electoral registration officers (EROs) will scrutinise and dispose of forms and objections between December 16, 2025 and February 7, 2026. Final approval from the Election Commission is slated for February 10, and the final rolls will be published on February 14, 2026.

Before the draft rolls are released, BLOs and booth-level agents (BLAs) of political parties will hold meetings at every polling station, where BLOs will share the list of voters whose names are missing from the draft rolls.