Dakshina Kannada's voter list revision in full swing; BLOs fan out

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has entered full swing in Dakshina Kannada, with hundreds of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) undertaking an extensive door-to-door campaign to verify voter details, distribute Enumeration Forms and update the district's electoral database. The month-long exercise, launched under the directions of the Election Commission of India, is aimed at ensuring that every eligible citizen is included in the electoral roll while eliminating duplicate and incorrect entries before the next electoral process.

According to data released by the Office of the Deputy Commissioner and District Election Officer, Dakshina Kannada, the verification drive, which commenced on June 30, will continue till July 29. During this period, BLOs are visiting every household in urban and rural constituencies assisting voters in filling up Enumeration Forms and digitising the collected information for integration into the electoral database. The district has 18,03,766 registered voters spread across 1,876 polling stations. In the first phase of the exercise, 2,11,200 Enumeration Forms, accounting for 11.71 per cent of the electorate, have already been distributed.

So far, 5,945 forms have been digitised, mark ing the beginning of what is one of the largest voter verification exercises undertaken in the district. Assembly constituency wise progress indicates that Moodbidri has recorded the highest distribution of Enumeration Forms with 31,795, followed by Mangaluru City South (29,296),Mangaluru (27,703), Bantwal (25,061), Manga luru City North (25,145), Sullia (24,833), Belthangady (24,291) and Puttur (23,076). In digitisation, Belthangady leads the district with 2,441 forms, followed by Mood bidri with 932. For the Booth Level Officers, the exercise involves much more than delivering forms.

Every household visit includes verification of voter identity, recording changes in residence, enrolment of newly eligible voters, deletion of duplicate entries and correction of inaccuracies that may otherwise affect voting rights. Irine Periera, a Booth Level Officer covering parts of Mangaluru City South, said the response from residents has been encouraging. "Most families understand the importance of updating voter records and complete the formalities during our visit.

We appeal to those who are unavailable during the day to get in touch with their respective BLOs and complete the process within the stipulated time," she said. In Bantwal Assembly constituency, Booth Level Officer Ramesh Poojary, who is part of the verification team in Vittal and surrounding villages, said the revision helps identify changes that often go unnoticed until elections are announced. "People shift residences, attain voting age or find errors in their voter identity details.

This exercise gives them an opportunity to rectify every thing well in advance and ensures they are not denied their democratic right on polling day," he said. With nearly 1.8 million voters to be covered in less than a month, the district administration is relying on public participation to complete the revision on schedule. Election officials have urged residents to co operate with visiting BLOs, keep supporting documents ready and submit Enumeration Forms without delay, emphasising that an accurate electoral roll remains the cornerstone of free elections.