Focus on voter rolls, ground outreach: BJP chief Nitin Nabin gives new 'mantra' to party in Odisha ahead of SIR

Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], May 19 : With the Election Commission all set to roll out Phase III of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across Odisha on May 30, BJP RS MP Sujeet Kumar on Monday said BJP National President Nitin Nabin shared a mantra centered on direct public integration and the smarter use of social media platforms to bridge communication gaps.

Talking to ANI, Kumar said, "His main mantra was to reach out to people. Be it district administration or someone from the government, he asked them to stay with people, get to know their problems and try to find a solution. Second, he suggested that we utilise social media better."

Affirming the party's absolute alignment with the statutory process, Kumar added, "The SIR will commence in Odisha from May 30, and we will fully cooperate with the Election Commission."

Echoing similar sentiments, BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi toldthat Nabin has issued strict directives to keep the upcoming revision drive error-free while scaling up grassroots interactions.

"Nitin Nabin gave us the right kind of mantra...he asked us to work hard, work together and that there should be coordination and collective responsibility...the office bearers who work at a state level must go to interior areas and spend nights there... this was a roadmap for all of us...he asked us to not just sit in the offices but go out and mingle with people," Sarangi said.

Sarangi further noted that the party chief has assigned specific operational responsibilities to Members of Parliament (MPs) to strengthen assembly segments.

"The MPs are supposed to go to different assembly segments in respective constituencies and spend at least one day with the MLA candidate or MLA...he said that we should be aware of different provisions of SIR and should be able to help the district administration," she added.

The decision follows a high-level organisational review meeting chaired by BJP National President Nitin Nabin during his maiden visit to the state capital, where he shared a comprehensive public outreach roadmap to ensure seamless voter verification and booth-level coordination.

According to a press note issued by the EC earlier, the SIR exercise has been planned in coordination with the ongoing house listing component of the Census to ensure optimal use of field machinery.

The poll body said that over 3.94 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will carry out house-to-house verification work, supported by 3.42 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by political parties during the enumeration phase.

The ECI emphasised that the exercise is participatory and involves all stakeholders, including electors, political parties and election officials.

It also urged political parties to appoint BLAs for each polling booth to ensure full participation and transparency in the process.

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) schedule has been outlined for multiple States and Union Territories with clearly defined timelines for each stage of the electoral roll process.

For Odisha, along with Mizoram, Sikkim and Manipur, the qualifying date is July 1, 2026. The preparation, training and printing phase will run from May 20, 2026, to May 29, 2026, followed by house-to-house visits by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) from May 30, 2026, to June 28, 2026.

Rationalisation of polling stations will be completed by June 28, 2026. The draft electoral roll will be published on July 5, 2026, with the period for filing claims and objections from July 5, 2026, to August 4, 2026.

The notice phase and disposal of claims and objections will continue from July 5, 2026, to September 2, 2026, and the final electoral roll will be published on September 6, 2026.

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