Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) of India, Gyanesh Kumar, is set to visit Odisha on Saturday for a three-day official tour from December 27 to 29, according to an official statement issued on Friday.
The visit combines spiritual engagements with high-level administrative reviews concerning the state’s electoral framework.
The CEC will begin his tour on December 27 by visiting and offering prayers at the 12th-century shrine Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, followed by a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage site, the Konark Sun Temple.
On Sunday, December 28, the CEC is scheduled to visit Raghurajpur Heritage Village, renowned for its Pattachitra art, and explore Bhubaneswar’s historic landmarks, including the Dhauli Shanti Stupa, Khandagiri and Udayagiri caves, and the Mukteswar Temple.
On Monday, December 29, the Chief Election Commissioner will preside over a meeting with Booth Level Officers (BLOs) at the auditorium of Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) in Bhubaneswar, and address the gathering.
The CEC is scheduled to depart from Bhubaneswar later on Monday night.
As per official sources, he will reportedly hold crucial discussions with the BLOs regarding the upcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which is likely to be carried out in the state very soon.
The CEC is also likely to deliberate on the recent by-election in Nuapada.
The second phase of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls is in 12 states and Union Territories across the country.
The states and union territories are the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
It is pertinent here to mention that the Election Commission of India is undertaking an extensive house-to-house verification exercise aimed at improving the accuracy of electoral rolls under the SIR process.
The initiative is aimed at creating a clean and reliable voter database by eliminating duplicate entries and removing the names of those who are not entitled to vote.
