Election Commission of India (ECI) Secretary Binod Kumar on Friday, 21 August urged Nagaland election officials to intensify efforts in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, stressing the need to improve mapping percentages and ensure accurate, up-to-date voter data across the state. Kumar, who has been on a review tour of Kohima, Chumoukedima, and Dimapur districts since Thursday, held a series of high-level meetings with election machinery at all three locations.

Key Meetings and Field Visits

In Dimapur, a review meeting was convened at the Conference Hall of the Deputy Commissioner's Office, where Kumar assessed the on-ground progress of the SIR exercise. He stressed the critical role of Enumeration Forms (EFs) and directed Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) to closely monitor the work being carried out by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in the field. Following the meeting, Kumar visited two polling stations under the 3-Dimapur-III Assembly Constituency to personally assess implementation at the grassroots level.

In Chumoukedima district, Kumar similarly reviewed SIR progress, called for timely completion of all revision activities, and urged that awareness about the process reach citizens across the district. He appreciated the efforts of BLOs while directing them to update field findings in the designated application within the stipulated timeframe.

What the ECI Secretary Emphasised

Kumar underlined the importance of tight coordination among District Election Officers (DEOs), EROs, AEROs, and BLOs to ensure the exercise moves forward at the required pace. He called for concrete solutions to the challenges being faced by field-level officers and reiterated that all eligible voters must be included in the electoral roll without compromising its integrity.

Notably, Kumar described the SIR exercise as one that would have a 'generational impact' — a phrase that signals the ECI's intent to treat this revision as more than a routine update. Officers and BLOs apprised him of field-level challenges, following which possible measures were discussed to address them.

Scope of the National SIR Exercise

According to election officials, the Election Commission of India has directed the SIR to be conducted across 16 states and three Union Territories, with Nagaland among those included. All recognised political parties have been requested to appoint Booth Level Agents (BLAs) at every polling booth to ensure active participation and enhance transparency throughout the revision process.

Key Dates for Nagaland's Electoral Roll Revision

The qualifying date for the Special Intensive Revision in Nagaland has been fixed as 1 October. The draft electoral roll for the state is scheduled for publication on 20 September. Claims and objections will be accepted and disposed of between 20 September and 18 November, after which the final Photo Electoral Roll will be published on 22 November.

With the revision timeline now firmly in place, the focus shifts to whether field-level machinery can close the mapping gaps before the draft publication deadline.