Addressing a press conference, Divisional Commissioner J S Saharia said the revision programme has been taken up as a part of the nationwide drive to enroll new voters. This is for the first time that the revision and updating of the electoral rolls has been taken up at the polling station level, on the lines of actually conducting the elections. The designated Government officers who are usually posted at polling stations during actual elections, will be present at their allotted stations on April 24 and 25 to accept applications for inclusion of new names in the voters list, incorporating changes, objections and corrections in the electoral rolls, he said. The second phase of a similar two-day drive will be launched on May 8 at all these polling stations.

A month-long special campaign will be conducted as part of therevision of electoral rolls ordered by the Election Commission all over the country. During this period, those who have become 18 years old on January 1, 1999 and voters who wish to make corrections in the electoral rolls and photo identity cards, can file their applications on a prescribed form with the electoral registration officer or assistant electoral registration officer of their Assembly constituency. Saharia said a special programme will be implemented till May 20 to ensure that all eligible persons attaining the age of 18 as on January 1, 1999 and those above 18, are enrolled as voters. The final voters' lists will be published on July 21.

A total of 6,830 officers have been designated to implement the enrollment drive in all 33 Assembly constituencies in Nagpur, Bhandara, Gadchiroli, Chandrapur and Wardha districts of eastern Vidarbha.