KOLKATA: The Election Commission (EC) has added a new option in the booth level officer (BLO) App, which is expected to reduce the number of unmapped voters that the Commission has scheduled to summon for hearing. Around 32 lakh voters have remained unmapped, with no linkage found in the 2002 voter list, which has been earmarked by the poll panel as the base for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. Initially, the Commission had declared that all these unmapped voters would be called for a hearing. However, with the introduction of the new App option — ‘Re-verify logical discrepancies’ — BLOs will be able to rectify errors in forms that may be preventing matches with the 2002 voter list. In many cases, mismatches have arisen due to spelling errors, differences in middle names or address discrepancies, which BLOs can now resolve through this feature.
On opening the App, a BLO will be directed to an interface titled ‘Upload Proof of Relationship (Parents)’. In cases where mismatches occur due to different names in the two voter lists, proof of relationship with the voter’s parents must be uploaded, along with an undertaking by the BLO confirming verification of documents establishing that the voter is the same person in both lists. The Commission had initially planned to begin the hearing process from December 22–23, but it is now expected to start towards the end of December. If effective use of the new option reduces the number of voters summoned, it would significantly help the poll panel complete the process within the stipulated timeline. The notice phase, including hearing and verification, will continue till February 7, 2026, followed by the publication of the final electoral roll on February 14.