Aizawl: Mizoram’s election machinery has entered the final phase of preparations for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with the Election Commission of India (ECI) scheduled to launch the exercise in April across 22 States and Union Territories, including Mizoram.
Officials in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Mizoram, said on Sunday that groundwork for the revision has been “more or less completed”, indicating the state’s readiness for one of the most comprehensive updates of voter rolls in recent years.
The forthcoming exercise assumes particular significance as the last SIR in Mizoram was conducted in 2004. At that time, the state had 795 polling stations. Two decades later, the number has risen to 1,353 polling stations across 40 Assembly constituencies, reflecting demographic changes, administrative expansion, and sustained efforts to enhance voter accessibility.
Officials noted that the sharp increase in polling stations necessitated extensive rationalisation. A detailed review was undertaken to ensure that no polling station has more than 1,200 electors, in accordance with ECI norms.
The rationalisation proposal submitted by the state has since been approved by the Commission, and the revised details have been incorporated into the staging database of ERONET, the nationwide electoral roll management system. Integration into ERONET is regarded as a crucial milestone ahead of the rollout, as the platform underpins the maintenance, updating and standardisation of electoral data across the country.
In line with the Commission’s directives, capacity-building measures have been completed. Training programmes have been conducted for District Election Officers (DEOs), Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) and Block Level Officers (BLOs), who will spearhead the field-level implementation of the revision.
Officials added that all previously vacant posts across these categories have been filled and personnel trained to ensure coordinated and seamless execution. Strengthening administrative capacity at every tier is considered vital to safeguarding accuracy, transparency and efficiency during the intensive verification and updating process.
As part of stakeholder outreach, a workshop for political parties has been scheduled for February 27. The session is expected to brief party representatives on the modalities, timelines, and procedures for filing claims and objections, thereby promoting participatory oversight and minimising disputes.
The SIR is a periodic exercise aimed at purging ineligible entries, enrolling newly eligible voters, and rectifying discrepancies in the electoral rolls. With preparatory measures nearing completion, Mizoram’s election authorities are poised to undertake the revision in a structured and time-bound manner once the ECI formally commences the process in April.