Mumbai: Maharashtra’s Chief Electoral Officer S Chockalingam wrote to the Election Commission of India (ECI) proposing an online self-mapping option for voters, particularly targeting urban centres like Mumbai, where the ongoing electoral roll verification exercise has been progressing slowly.
The proposal comes as the state struggles to complete the pre-Special Intensive Revision (SIR) mapping exercise, which requires Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to match current voters with entries from the 2002 electoral roll. "Yes, I have sent the letter to the EC. I have only made a suggestion… in a city like Mumbai, where people work round the clock, it becomes difficult for BLOs to reach everyone," Chockalingam said, adding that a response from the ECI is awaited.
Currently, the exercise mandates that every voter’s name be traceable to the 2002 roll. Younger voters, whose names do not appear in that list, must establish eligibility through their parents’ records. The process has become more complex due to the introduction of a 'logical discrepancy' category, under which voters may be excluded if there are inconsistencies in names between the 2002 and current rolls.
Urban districts, including Mumbai Suburban, Pune and Thane, have reported less than 50 per cent completion of the mapping process, compared to the state average of 66.42 per cent. Officials say high migration, dense populations and logistical challenges have slowed progress in cities, as reported by The Indian Express.
To address this, the CEO’s office suggested allowing voters to verify and map their own details online, similar to the self-enumeration feature introduced for the national census. Under that system, individuals can submit household information within 15–20 minutes and receive a self-enumeration ID without uploading documents.
“A similar process can be adopted for pre-SIR work, subject to ECI approval,” an official said, as quoted by The Indian Express. The proposal also gains urgency as Maharashtra has sought additional time to complete the exercise. With over 9 crore electors, the state has one of the largest voter bases in the country, making the revision process both critical and complex.
If approved, the self-mapping system could majorly ease the workload on BLOs and speed up the verification process, especially in urban areas where traditional door-to-door mapping has proven challenging.
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