Karnal Deputy Commissioner Anand Kumar Sharma on Thursday said the primary objective of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise was to ensure that electoral rolls across the district were accurate by eliminating the names of deceased, permanently shifted and duplicate voters. “Besides, no eligible citizen would be deprived of their constitutional right to vote," he said, addressing the media at the conference hall of Karnal’s Mini-Secretariat.
Sharma said the Election Commission of India had launched the SIR campaign across the country as part of its efforts to maintain error-free and updated electoral rolls. He clarified that Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) would conduct door-to-door verification of voters from June 15 to July 14, 2026. He urged citizens to cooperate fully with BLOs and other election officials during the verification process.
“The purpose of the campaign is not to remove genuine voters from the electoral rolls. No eligible voter’s name will be deleted. Only the names of ineligible persons will be considered for deletion after following the prescribed notice and verification process,” said Sharma.
He further said that July 1, 2026, had been fixed as the qualifying date for the revision exercise. Young citizens who attain the age of 18 years on or before July 1, 2026, will be eligible to register themselves as voters and have their names included in the electoral rolls.
Giving details of the schedule, Sharma said training of the BLOs and distribution of election materials would take place from June 5 to June 14. The draft electoral roll will be published on July 21, while claims and objections can be submitted between July 21 and August 20. These claims and objections will be disposed of by the EROs concerned by September 18, 2026.
Sharma said the voters dissatisfied with the decision of the ERO could appeal before the District Election Officer and subsequently before the Chief Electoral Officer of the state. The final electoral roll will be published on September 22.
Responding to a media query, Sharma said 1,181 BLOs had been deployed across Karnal district for the revision exercise. Each BLO would visit a household three times. Supervisors have been appointed to monitor their work, while the Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs) concerned will also keep a close watch on the process.
The District Election Officer also said the citizens could seek assistance or resolve election-related queries through the Election Commission’s toll-free helpline 1950, which would remain operational daily from 7 am to 9 pm.
Regarding valid documents for voter verification, Sharma said that identity cards and PPO numbers of Central and state government employees, PSU employees and pensioners would be accepted. Other valid documents include birth certificates, passports, educational certificates, domicile certificates, caste certificates, family registers and government-issued land or house allotment documents.
Sharma reiterated that the success of the SIR campaign was dependent on active public participation and cooperation. “A clean and accurate voter list is the foundation of a strong democracy. Every eligible citizen must come forward and ensure their inclusion in the electoral roll,” he said.
