In a representation to the ECI and the Punjab CEO, Dhillon said that such activities are completely contrary to the objectives of the Election Commission's revision exercise and are illegal. (File)The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday extended the schedule for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Punjab, two other states and Delhi.In a letter to the chief electoral officer (CEO) of Punjab, the Commission said the house-to-house visits by booth level officers (BLOs) will continue till August 3. Earlier, the house-to-house visits were to conclude on July 24. The draft electoral rolls in the state will now be published on August 13 in place of July 31. The final rolls will come out on October 12 in place of October 10.The EC also extended the deadline for SIR of electoral rolls in Telangana, Karnataka, and Delhi following a request from the CEOs of the respective states and the Union Territory. On Tuesday, EC extended the SIR schedule for Haryana and Andhra Pradesh.These five states and Delhi are part of Phase 3 of the SIR which was rolled out on May 14. Once Phase 3 is completed, the entire country, except for Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, will be covered under the SIR rollout.The ECI has directed that all officials and officers concerned be informed immediately and the modified schedule be publicised. Political parties will also be informed of the revised schedule in writing.The SIR exercise involves Booth Level Officers conducting door-to-door visits to verify voter details, rationalise polling stations, publish draft rolls, and dispose of claims and objections before the final publication. Over 24,000 BLOs are engaged in Punjab for this process covering more than 2.14 crore electors.Meanwhile, Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon has alleged that some officials deployed for election-related duties are collecting data related to various Punjab government welfare schemes under the guise of electoral roll revision and encouraging people to avail benefits under those schemes.Story continues below this adIn a representation to the ECI and the Punjab CEO, Dhillon said that such activities are completely contrary to the objectives of the Election Commission’s revision exercise and are illegal.He further alleged that at several places, BLOs are demanding unauthorized documents from tenant voters, such as registered rent agreements or affidavits from landlords, even though no such requirement exists in the ECI’s guidelines. “These unwarranted demands are causing unnecessary hardship to ordinary voters and making the electoral process unnecessarily cumbersome,” he claimed.Dhillon sought an immediate inquiry and strict disciplinary action against officials allegedly collecting data beyond the prescribed mandate and promoting government schemes during the SIR exercise.He has also sought action to curb the arbitrary practice of BLOs demanding unauthorized documents from tenant voters. He further urged the ECI to issue strict instructions to all district election officers, electoral registration officers (EROs), assistant EROs, and BLOs to ensure that no documents other than those prescribed under the rules are demanded from voters.Story continues below this adHe urged the ECI to ensure that the electoral roll revision exercise is conducted in a completely fair, transparent, voter-friendly, and time-bound manner.