Punjab political parties ramp up vigil ahead of special intensive revision of poll rolls

Wary of the impending Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) have put their booth-level machinery on alert.

In the past a few days, both parties have directed their halqa in-charges and booth-level workers to closely monitor the exercise and assist voters, particularly in rural areas and urban migrant pockets where documentation gaps could lead to deletions. The Election Commission is expected to notify the SIR shortly, making it the first such intensive door-to-door verification in the state since 2003.

Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said the party had launched a parallel verification drive from district presidents down to village-level committees. “Our workers are helping voters correlate their details with the 2003 electoral rolls. We are ensuring that no legitimate voter is left out,” he said.

Punjab Congress general secretary (organisation) Capt Sandeep Sandhu added that the party had mobilised at least 25,000 booth-level agents (BLAs) across all 117 Assembly segments.

“They will work alongside official BLOs, especially in rural belts and migrant clusters where paperwork issues are common. We have also developed software to detect duplicate entries and multiple voters under the same name,” Sandhu said.

Party insiders claimed that records of nearly 40 lakh traditional Congress voters had been updated and validated.

However, they expressed apprehension that the ruling dispensation could target deletions in Opposition strongholds while facilitating new registrations in areas where it hopes to gain ground. “We fear selective scrutiny,” a senior leader said. To counter any adverse impact, the Congress plans to convert its upcoming mass-contact programmes, including padyatras, into voter-awareness drives.

The SAD has also swung into action. Following a core committee meeting chaired by party president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday, the party has authorised halqa in-charges to appoint block-level agents (BLAs) to oversee the revision process at the grassroots level. Party leader Daljit Singh Cheema said the BLAs would assist residents facing wrongful deletions or technical issues.

“We want to ensure every eligible voter remains on the rolls. Steps have been taken to prevent deletions due to technical glitches,” he said while refraining from directly accusing any party. He added that all political parties should deploy workers to support government officials during verification.

With Punjab witnessing significant migration and urbanisation over the past two decades, even minor changes in voter lists could tilt outcomes in several marginal seats. Both parties view the exercise not just as administrative but deeply political, and are leaving no stone unturned to safeguard their respective vote banks.