Rumors spread regarding SIR in Uttarakhand put to an end, process will start from April, election officer informed

Uttarakhand’s Additional Chief Electoral Officer Vijay Kumar Jogdande has clarified in a press conference on Friday that the misleading and wrong information that was being published in some media for the last two days regarding the Special Summary Review (SIR) going to be held in the state, is not based on facts. Jogdande said in clear words that SIR has not started in the state yet and this process will start from the month of April itself, which has completely put an end to these rumours.

Jogdande appealed to the media and general public to verify the facts from the election department before publishing or relying on any information. He stressed that doing so will prevent unnecessary confusion among common citizens and correct information will reach them. This clarification of the Election Department has come at a time when various kinds of speculations were being made on social media and some other mediums regarding SIR, which was creating confusion among the people regarding the process related to voter lists. The department believes that accurate information is the foundation of the democratic process.

Matching of voter lists of 2025 and 2003 continues

Additional Chief Electoral Officer said that before the start of the process of special summary review, the Election Department is engaged in an important work. At present the voter list of the year 2025 is being matched with the voter list of 2003. The main objective of this matching exercise is to prepare the voter list with maximum accuracy, which includes removing duplicate names, identifying dead voters and locating voters who have shifted. So far, 85 percent success has been achieved in this mapping and matching work, which shows the tireless efforts of the employees of the department. This important mapping work will be completed to the maximum extent before the commencement of SIR, so that there is no hindrance during the review process.

According to the information received from the Election Commission, some districts are not performing as per expectations in the mapping work and are progressing at a slow pace. Among these, Dehradun, Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts are lagging behind. Many practical reasons have emerged behind the slow pace of mapping in these districts, which the Election Department is seriously considering and trying to remove. These districts also face challenges such as large population and frequent migration or change of residence.

Mapping work is getting hampered due to voters not being found at home

One of the main reasons creating hurdles in the mapping work is that when the department teams reach the voters’ residence, often the voters are not found present there. In many cases the voter has changed his residence and shifted to a new address, making it difficult to verify him at the old address. Moreover, many voters are not able to be contacted on their registered phone numbers, which has become a major challenge in updating the data. These are the three main reasons due to which there are continuous hurdles in the mapping work in these districts and difficulties are being faced in completing the work within the stipulated time frame.

Only 70% mapping completed in Dharampur Assembly

Talking about Dehradun district, the mapping situation in some assembly constituencies even within the district is not satisfactory. Till now, only 70 percent mapping has been done in Dharampur assembly constituency. This figure is of particular concern to the electoral department, as this is an important assembly constituency within the capital. The Department is making special efforts to expedite the mapping work in this area and complete the remaining 30 per cent work at the earliest so that an accurate base can be prepared for the SIR process.

Vijay Kumar Jogdande once again reiterated in clear words in his press conference that the actual process of Special Summary Review (SIR) will start from the month of April itself and not now. He urged all citizens to ignore any kind of rumors and always rely on the official channels of the Election Department for correct and verified information. His clarification completely puts an end to all those misleading news which were doing the rounds regarding SIR in Uttarakhand for the last few days and creating confusion among the public. The ultimate goal of the department is to prepare an error-free, updated and inclusive voter list, which will form the basis of fair elections in the state.