Uttarakhand parties appear unprepared for the pre-SIR process, having appointed Booth Level Agents (BLAs) at only 8,700 out of 11,733 booths

The pre-Special Intensive Revision (pre-SIR) process is underway in Uttarakhand ahead of the proposed Special Intensive Revision (SIR), to ensure that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) do not face difficulties in collecting information and documents during the SIR. Following instructions from the Election Commission of India, pre-SIR activities in Uttarakhand began on December 4, 2025. Prior to this, the Chief Electoral Officer’s office in Uttarakhand had held meetings with political parties to emphasize the appointment of Booth Level Agents (BLAs). However, more than a month has passed, and political parties have still not appointed the required BLAs.

Political Parties Slow in Appointing BLAs: Pre-SIR activities are in full swing in Uttarakhand. This phase involves initial preparations for the upcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state. A ​​campaign of outreach, coordination, and communication is also being conducted to ensure that voters do not face any inconvenience during the SIR.

In the pre-SIR phase, voters in the state’s current electoral roll who are approximately 40 years old and whose names were included in the 2003 electoral roll are being mapped directly through the BLO app. Additionally, voters aged 40 years or older whose names are not in the 2003 electoral roll for any reason are being mapped as progeny based on the names of their parents or grandparents.

3,033 BLA Appointments Still Pending: More than a month has passed since the pre-SIR activities began in the state. However, political parties have still not appointed BLAs for all 11,733 booths in the state. The Chief Electoral Officer’s office has held several rounds of meetings in this regard. According to information from the Chief Electoral Officer’s office, only 8,700 BLAs have been appointed by political parties so far. Of these, one major political party in the state has appointed the highest number, 5,300 BLAs. While the other main political party has appointed only 3,200 Booth Level Agents (BLAs). In addition, 200 BLAs have been appointed by other political parties.

Uttarakhand has 11,733 booths: The total number of booths in the state is 11,733. Ideally, every political party should appoint BLAs at all these booths to ensure a better and more transparent Special Summary Revision (SSR) process. However, the number of BLAs appointed by the political parties indicates either a lack of focus or a shortage of party workers willing to take on this role. Interestingly, Uttarakhand has only two main political parties with a large number of party workers. Despite this, the failure to appoint sufficient BLAs raises many questions.

What the Additional Chief Electoral Officer said: Additional Chief Electoral Officer Dr. Vijay Kumar Jogdande said that:

“In the state, BLOs (Booth Level Officers) are going door-to-door, creating awareness among voters and engaging in dialogue. They are also informing voters about the upcoming SSR program. The Chief Electoral Office is striving to ensure that as many people as possible verify their names in the electoral roll. Voters whose names are not in the 2003 electoral roll should gather the necessary documents so that they do not face any inconvenience during the upcoming SSR.”
– Dr. Vijay Kumar Jogdande, Additional Chief Electoral Officer, Uttarakhand –

8,700 BLAs appointed so far: The Additional Chief Electoral Officer also stated that in view of the upcoming SSR, all political parties were appealed to appoint BLAs at all booths. Following the request from the Chief Electoral Officer’s office, political parties are appointing BLAs. So far, only 8,700 BLAs have been appointed by the political parties. It is likely that the process of appointing Booth Level Agents (BLAs) at all polling booths by political parties will be completed by the end of this month.

Congress will submit the list of all BLAs by January 20: Amarendra Bisht, a member of the SIR Coordination and Monitoring Committee formed within the Congress for the Special Intensive Revision, said that:

The Congress party initially started the process of appointing BLA-1s in all 70 assembly constituencies of the state. After appointing BLA-1s in all assembly constituencies, the process of appointing BLA-2s is underway. So far, 58 to 65 percent of BLA-2s have been appointed across the state. The list of BLA-2s has been prepared for approximately 65 to 66 assembly constituencies at the party level. The list of BLA-2s for all booths will be submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer’s office between January 15 and 20.
– Amarendra Bisht, Member, SIR Coordination and Monitoring Committee, Congress –

BJP will submit the complete list by the end of January: BJP leader and treasurer Puneet Mittal, in a telephonic conversation with ETV Bharat, said that:

The party is appointing BLAs at the party level for the proposed Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Uttarakhand. Currently, about 5,300 BLAs have been appointed, while a list of 4,700 BLAs is also ready, and the verification process is underway. Thus, by the end of January, the BLA appointment process will be completed, and BLAs will be appointed at all polling booths.
– Puneet Mittal, BJP Leader –

Why is the BLA so important? BLAs (Booth Level Agents) are representatives appointed by the Election Commission of India for political parties. They play a crucial role in ensuring the accuracy of the voter list at every polling booth. This system has been in place since 2008 to make the voting process transparent and reliable. Primarily, BLAs assist Booth Level Officers (BLOs) by conducting door-to-door checks to verify names and identify any discrepancies or omissions. This helps reduce errors in the voter list and curb electoral malpractice. This is why BLAs have been made mandatory at every booth during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) currently underway in Uttarakhand.

What is SIR? SIR stands for Special Intensive Revision. It is a special campaign conducted by the Election Commission. Its main objective is to make the voter list completely accurate and up-to-date. Under SIR, the names of people who no longer reside in the area, those who have passed away, and those whose names appear in two places are removed from the voter list. Simultaneously, new eligible voters are added. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) conduct door-to-door surveys as part of this process. If any discrepancies are found in a voter’s details during the survey, or if the voter is not found at home, their case is marked for verification.