Pune: The district continues to trail the state average in both distribution and digitisation of forms, according to the latest daily bulletin issued by Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Maharashtra, on Friday.So far, BLOs have distributed 68.9 lakh (75.8%) enumeration forms to Pune’s 90.8 lakh electors, and 50.4 lakh (55.4%) have been digitised, with the remaining electors’ data awaiting the process, official data as of 10am on July 31 shows. The deadline for distribution and submission of enumeration forms for SIR 2026 ends on Aug 8.Deputy election officer Minal Kalaskar said they have a plan in place to finish work before the deadline.All BLOs have been instructed to intensify door-to-door verification over the next three to four days. They will also focus on the absent-shifted-dead (ASD) category by physically verifying the addresses of such electors and ascertain if others could not be reached because of incomplete or incorrect addresses.Kalaskar said, “We are trying to reach remaining voters whose addresses are not complete. We have also requested political parties to help trace these voters. We will simultaneously ready the ASD category list. After the field verification and panchnama for this list, it will be shared with booth-level agents (BLAs) so that they can assist in tracing electors who may have been missed. Names in the ASD list will be deleted only after due verification. Others will be located with help from BLAs. As the ASD verification progresses, the overall number of electors in the pending list will also reduce.”District collector Jitendra Dudi has directed nearly 8,000 BLOs in Pune district not to wait for electors in their camps but visit every household. He also urged voters who have filled their enumeration forms but have yet to submit them to BLOs to do so immediately to ensure that their names are included in the draft electoral roll.Submission is important because the draft electoral roll will be prepared on the basis of enumeration forms received. Dudi said, “Timely submission of the form would ensure that the elector’s name is considered for inclusion in the draft electoral roll. Citizens must cooperate with the revision exercise by promptly handing over the completed forms to their BLOs.”Kalaskar said voters can make SIR work a two-way process. “Citizens should check the Pune collectorate website to find the contact details of their respective BLOs and call them to request a home visit if it has not yet taken place. Given the size of the district’s electorate, public participation is important to ensure every eligible voter is covered before the deadline,” she added.The deputy election officer said voters need not worry as there are no elections in the near future after the publication of the draft electoral roll on Aug 17.
