18 July,2026 04:13 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
BMC chief Ashwini Bhide reviews the work of Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) for the Mumbai North Lok Sabha constituency at Mumbai Public School in Liberty Garden, Malad, on Saturday. PIC/BMC
District Election Officer and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Ashwini Bhide on Saturday directed officials to expedite the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Mumbai, stressing the need to complete house visits and digitisation within the stipulated timeline despite disruptions caused by recent heavy rainfall.
Bhide issued the directions while reviewing the work of Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) for the Mumbai North Lok Sabha constituency at Mumbai Public School in Liberty Garden, Malad.
The Election Commission of India is currently undertaking the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across Mumbai. Bhide said the recent spell of heavy rain had affected the pace of the exercise and, with more showers likely in the coming days, officials must accelerate fieldwork to avoid delays.
She urged booth-level officers (BLOs) to intensify their efforts and ensure that house-to-house verification and digitisation of electoral data are completed within the prescribed timeframe.
Additional District Election Officer and Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects) Abhijit Bangar, electoral registration officers (EROs), and assistant electoral registration officers attended the review meeting.
Bangar also said that the SIR exercise must be completed in a time-bound manner. He directed AEROs to simultaneously speed up the distribution of enumeration forms and the digitisation process.
He noted that although the Election Commission had granted an extension for the exercise, officials should factor in their routine departmental responsibilities as well as the possibility of further rainfall. Where necessary, they should deploy additional manpower and work on holidays to complete house visits and digitisation within the stipulated period, he said.
The door-to-door verification drive, which began on June 30, is scheduled to continue till July 29 as part of the SIR programme. The BLOs are visiting households to distribute enumeration forms, verify voter details, and assist eligible electors in completing the verification process.
Residents have been asked to fill in the required details, sign the enumeration forms, and submit them along with the necessary supporting documents to the BLOs during their visits. The exercise is aimed at ensuring that the electoral rolls are updated and free from discrepancies before the publication of the revised voter lists.
When the drive was launched last month, Bhide had appealed to citizens to cooperate with BLOs by providing the required information and documents during the verification process, saying public participation was crucial for preparing accurate electoral rolls.
