Days after the first draft of the electoral rolls for the Assembly elections has been published as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), booth level officers (BLOs) are still caught in the ‘mapping exercise’ aimed at sparing as many eligible voters as possible from going through the hearing process to get their franchise reinstated.
The BLOs have been tasked with assisting people who appear in the draft list but whose relationship details need to be mapped with those of their parents or grandparents in the 2002 SIR roll. A total of 19.32 lakh people have been included in the ‘unmapped’ list in the State, of whom 2.1 lakh are in Ernakulam district.
“We have been instructed to contact those included in the unmapped list and collect documents proving their date and place of birth as per the age groups mentioned in the Election Commission of India’s guidelines. If they can produce the required documents, we can still update their enumeration forms through the BLO App so that they will be included in the final rolls,” a BLO in Thrikkakara assembly constituency said.
The BLOs’ responsibilities also include verifying names and other details that may contain errors in the rolls. “In such cases, the BLOs have to cross-check the identity proofs of the voters and upload an affidavit certifying that the person mentioned in the 2002 rolls and the latest draft rolls is the same,” an election official said. The work is to be completed before January 21.
The State government has meanwhile directed District Collectors to open help desks to provide assistance to voters omitted from the draft electoral roll and those on the ‘unmapped’ list so that they can add their names to the roll.
The help desks are to be opened at village offices. Offices that lack space have been directed to set up the desks in nearby buildings.
Published – December 29, 2025 12:14 am IST