Archive · 10 Aug 2026
Bhiwandi Voter Digitisation Nears 50% Amid Migrant Population Challenges
In India, grown-ups who can vote are listed in a big book called the electoral roll.
The government is now checking and updating that list using a special program called the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR.
They want to make sure every voter's details are correct and stored in a computer.
This work is about halfway done in a city called Bhiwandi.
It is more than three-quarters done in the nearby rural area.
Bhiwandi has many workers who came from other places, and some have moved away since 2002, which makes it hard to find them.
Some people appear twice on voter lists, which also slows things down.
Teachers have been given extra work to help check voter details, sometimes after school or on holidays.
Electoral roll digitisation under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise is around 50% complete in Bhiwandi city and over 75% complete in Bhiwandi Rural.
Progress stands at 48.20% in Bhiwandi East, 52.11% in Bhiwandi West, and 75.34% in Bhiwandi Rural.
Voter details are being verified and digitised using the 2002 electoral roll as the reference point.
Bhiwandi's large migrant workforce has made verification harder, as many 2002-era residents have moved to native villages or other cities.
Teachers working as Booth Level Officers are doing SIR verification duties after school hours and on holidays.
- Who
- Election officials and the election department in Bhiwandi, with many teachers serving as Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
- What
- Digitisation of electoral rolls under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, about 50% complete in Bhiwandi city and over 75% complete in the rural constituency.
- When
- Ongoing; no specific dates are stated in the articles.
- Where
- Bhiwandi city (Bhiwandi East and Bhiwandi West constituencies) and Bhiwandi Rural constituency.
- Why
- To verify and digitise voter details using the 2002 electoral roll as a reference, while addressing challenges posed by migrant voters and duplicate entries.
- Exercise
- Special Intensive Revision (SIR)
- Bhiwandi East progress
- 48.20%
- Bhiwandi West progress
- 52.11%
- Bhiwandi Rural progress
- 75.34%
- City-wide progress
- Around 50%
- Reference point
- 2002 electoral roll
- Main challenge
- Tracing migrant workers who have moved away
- Booth Level Officers
- Many are teachers with added duties