Chandigarh: In an effort to speed up the ongoing revision of the electoral rolls, the Punjab government has directed all government and government-aided schools to remain open on July 11 and 12, even though the days fall during the holiday period. The move is aimed at facilitating special voter verification camps across the state as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)-2026 exercise.
Under the directive issued by the School Education Department, teaching and non-teaching staff will report for duty as they would on a normal working day. School premises housing polling stations will serve as centres for the verification campaign, with election officials conducting voter-related activities from morning until afternoon.
The Election Commission has planned these camps to help Booth Level Officers (BLOs) verify voter details, collect pending documents, correct errors and digitise applications already received during the revision process.
Officials said Deputy Commissioners, who are also District Election Officers, have been instructed to closely supervise the camps and ensure that all arrangements are completed in advance. Particular emphasis has been placed on clearing pending applications and resolving discrepancies before the next phase of the revision.
The special camps form part of the statewide house-to-house voter verification drive that began on June 25 and will continue until July 24. Election authorities are aiming to complete the revision process within the prescribed timeline while ensuring that eligible voters are not left out of the electoral rolls.
Besides school employees, the administration has also deployed revenue officials, Anganwadi workers and personnel from local bodies to support the verification exercise. Their role includes assisting election staff with document verification, public awareness and coordination at polling stations.
Election officials have appealed to citizens to make use of the two-day camps by visiting their designated polling stations to verify personal details, submit required documents and rectify any errors in voter records. The exercise is expected to strengthen the accuracy of Punjab’s electoral rolls ahead of future elections.
