India, Aug. 6 -- Voters are confused and apprehensive regarding the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls, with preliminary estimates suggesting that over 20% of names could be deleted. In an interview with Hindustan Times, Maharashtra's chief electoral officer S Chockalingam addressed these concerns. Excerpts from the interview:

Q. Why is the enumeration in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and other cities less than the state average?

Ans: This is common across the country, as inter-city and inter-state migration is significantly higher in metros. A large floating population makes it difficult for Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to locate electors at their registered addresses. Additionally, many people work a...