SIR door-to-door campaign in MP falls behind after printing delay:Tender firm manager claims – incomplete data received from districts, some bundles go missing

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voter list in Madhya Pradesh has gone completely off track. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) were deployed for the mega-campaign without enumeration sheets, as the Indore-based firm responsible for printing them failed to deliver on time. The firm claims district election offices delayed or sent incomplete voter data, while in several districts, bundles of voter lists even went missing. As a result, the door-to-door campaign that began on November 4 has fallen behind schedule. Bhaskar spoke to the Indore firm handling the printing work to find out how the lost time will be recovered and how much of the task remains pending. Read the full report BLOs had iPads but no forms in hand In Indore alone, physical verification of over 28.46 lakh voters is to be carried out under the Special Intensive Revision. The campaign formally began on November 4, but when Booth Level Officers (BLOs) went door-to-door, they had iPads instead of the crucial enumeration sheets and forms. The tablets were meant to help match voter data from the 2003 and 2025 lists. However, as per Election Commission rules, entries in the app cannot be made without the voter’s signature on physical forms. As a result, many BLOs had to halt their work or temporarily rely on old draft forms to collect information. Firm cited data discrepancy as reason Manager Ayaz Khan said, Main delay was due to incomplete or faulty data transfers, PDF files from some districts wouldn’t download properly. To resolve the issue, staff were sent across the state to collect data via pen drives and hard disks manually. Bundles from several districts lost Ayaz Khan, Manager of MG Commercial Company, said the firm received the tender to print around 11.40 crore double-sided voter list forms for the entire state. He stated, We have completed 99% of the work. Only forms from areas where bundles were lost or missing remain. Khan added that the company worked on a war footing, deploying 700–800 printing machines and 1,000–1,500 staff across Madhya Pradesh. Despite data-related hurdles, he claimed the firm completed its share of the work swiftly. What is special about the Enumeration Form?
This time’s form is not just a piece of paper, but rather like a secure digital document. First page: Contains the voter’s basic details—name, EPIC number, photo, date of birth, mobile number, Aadhaar number, and family relation (father, mother, or spouse). The data is valid only after the BLO scans the unique QR code printed on the form. Second Page: Includes guidelines for electoral roll amendments and a warning for voters to verify their details on eci.gov.in. In case of discrepancies, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) will issue a notice. It also lists 12 acceptable documents for verifying date of birth. New rules have increased difficulties for BLOs Along with delays in voter list forms, a new Election Commission rule has made ground operations tougher. Now, only those whose names appear on the same booth’s voter list or who are government employees of the same ward can serve as BLOs. Though well-intended, the rule has sidelined many experienced officers. In their place, new BLOs—many unfamiliar with the system, app, and process—have been deployed. Despite two rounds of training, frequent complaints of app crashes and login errors continue from the field. Polling station rationalisation likely to be delayed A key goal of the SIR campaign is to rationalise polling stations so that every voter can vote near their home. Indore district currently has 2,625 polling stations for 28.67 lakh voters, including 34 centers with fewer than 500 voters. A proposal to set up 585 new centers has been sent to the Election Commission but is still awaiting approval. The delay in enumeration forms and the slow progress of the campaign are expected to impact this crucial exercise.