Mizoram prepares for its first intensive roll revision since 2004

Mizoram is finalising preparations for a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls scheduled from April to June, a senior official said on Monday. The exercise, being undertaken by the EC in 22 states and union territories, will mark Mizoram's first intensive update in over 20 years since the last SIR in 2004. The drive aims to purge ineligible entries and register new voters in a structured, time-bound manner once the formal process begins this April. Mizoram Joint Chief Electoral Officer Ethel Rothangpuii said that the groundwork is nearly complete, signalling the state's readiness for one of its most comprehensive voter roll updates in decades. She said that training sessions for District Election Officers (DEOs), Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), and Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have been successfully concluded across all districts. Furthermore, procurement and preparation of enumeration forms have already been initiated. In line with ECI mandates, the state election machinery has completed a ''rationalisation'' process to ensure no single polling station exceeds the 1,200-voter limit, prioritising ease of access for voters to polling stations in both urban and remote areas, she said. ''We have reached high levels of readiness for the upcoming exercise scheduled from April to June 2026 as we have been preparing for the past three months,'' Rothangpuii told PTI. According to the official, since the last intensive revision in 2004, Mizoram has seen a significant surge in its voting population, which jumped from over 5.59 lakh to 8.74 lakh now. The total polling stations across 40 assembly constituencies have also increased from 795 in 2004 to 1,353 in the present, she said. In a move to ensure transparency and cooperation, a sensitisation meeting with all recognised political parties is scheduled for February 27. During this session, officials will outline the SIR roadmap and request parties to appoint Booth Level Agents (BLAs) for every polling station, Rothangpuii said. ''The house-to-house visit phase is a monumental task for our Booth Level Officers. We are seeking active support from political parties to ensure that every eligible citizen is correctly recorded in this fresh revision,'' she said. Updated details are now in the staging database of ERONET, the nationwide electoral roll management system.