Accept voter documents on WhatsApp, verify at homes if needed: Maharashtra poll body to BLOs
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S Chockalingam, Chief electoral officer of Maharashtra. File Photo: SA | Photo Credit: The Hindu
Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer S. Chockalingam has asked poll officials to take into consideration voter documents sent via WhatsApp during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, and has directed Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to visit households for verification if necessary, an official said on Wednesday (September 30, 2026).
People can respond to notices generated from the ECINet software by sending the required documents on WhatsApp to BLOs, the official in the State poll body said. "The BLOs have been asked to visit homes for verification of the documents sent, if required," he said.
Officials earlier said Mr. Chockalingam had requested the Election Commission for changes in the ECINet software to allow Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to use their discretion regarding anomalies in electoral rolls. The Opposition Congress has, however, alleged that the statutory powers of EROs to decide voter eligibility were being diluted through the ECINet system.
The deadline for filing claims and objections for the SIR of electoral rolls in Maharashtra has been extended from Wednesday (September 30, 2026) to October 12, 2026. The period for disposal of notices, and of claims and objections, is until November 10, 2026, and the date for final publication is November 16, 2026.
The Election Commission and Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar have come under fire after it came to light that Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months to decisions and orders regarding the SIR, some of which they said were issued without their knowledge. The Opposition parties have accused Mr. Kumar of taking unilateral decisions in favour of the ruling establishment.
The Election Commission has clarified in a statement that the three-member Commission took decisions, including those relating to the SIR of electoral rolls, unanimously.
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