Jaipur, Oct 28 (NationPress) In a significant announcement regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter registry, 70.55 percent of voters in Rajasthan are exempt from submitting any documents for verification.

State Chief Electoral Officer Naveen Mahajan stated that the Election Department has optimized the process.

"We initiated voter mapping ahead of time. Over 70 percent of voters will not be required to submit documents from the moment SIR is declared," Mahajan noted.

Furthermore, he mentioned that this percentage could exceed 80 percent once Booth Level Officers (BLOs) commence door-to-door verification.

As of October 27, Rajasthan boasts 5,48,84,570 registered voters. Following a review of electoral rolls from 2002 to 2005, the department verified that 70.55 percent of names aligned with prior SIR data.

Among these, 79.32 percent of voters aged over 40 years have been registered using the BLO app, while just 22.22 percent of voters under 40 have been mapped thus far.

Rajasthan is currently leading among 12 states implementing SIR. The total voter mapping in the state on the Election Commission of India (ECI) Net stands at 49.37 percent, outperforming Gujarat (5.73 percent), Uttar Pradesh (13.41 percent), Madhya Pradesh (20.09 percent), Tamil Nadu (21.62 percent), and Chhattisgarh (24.27 percent).

Mahajan stated that BLOs will visit each household up to three times to gather the Enumeration Form (EF) from voters.

"If no one is present after three visits, the BLO will leave the form at the residence and post a notice," he clarified.

He added that the mapping process has been simplified as voter lists from all states are now readily accessible.

"Previously, it was challenging to verify voters from border states. Now, with national-level voter data, mapping can be accomplished across states," he explained.

The draft SIR voter list is set to be published on December 9. Names of deceased voters, duplicates, and those who have relocated permanently or appear on the list in multiple locations will be eliminated.

"Deleted names will be accessible on the Election Department's website. Voters whose names were included in the previous SIR won’t need to provide any documents," he stated.

However, if the names of parents or grandparents are listed instead, voters will need to present identity proof.

In cases of discrepancies, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) will issue notifications.

Mahajan cautioned that having a voter's name registered in two locations is a punishable offense under election law, carrying a one-year jail term.

"Voter list data is now machine-readable nationwide, facilitating the detection of duplicate entries," he emphasized.

He highlighted that after implementing the SIR, Rajasthan will average 890 voters per booth, with a total of 8,819 new polling booths being established, bringing the statewide total to 61,309 booths.

"Special arrangements have been made for Ghumantu families. BLOs, with the help of volunteers, will distribute and collect voter forms from these groups to ensure complete inclusion," he added.