The draft electoral roll will be published on July 5, following which the claims and objections process will continue for a month. (Photo: X/@sdmbnj)As the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) got underway in Odisha Saturday, the Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) voiced concerns over the difficulties lakhs of migrant workers from the state may face during the process.As part of the SIR exercise, over 45,000 booth level officers began door-to-door visits across the state Saturday, which will continue till June 28. The draft electoral roll will be published on July 5, following which the claims and objections process will continue for a month. The final electoral roll will be published on September 6, officials said.Official sources said over 30 lakh people from Odisha have migrated to cities such as Surat, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi and Mumbai in search of livelihood due to inadequate employment opportunities in the state.The BJD recently met the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Odisha, seeking special facilitation for workers residing outside their constituencies to ensure genuine voters are not excluded.“Migrant labourers constitute an important and vulnerable section of society. Necessary coordination and facilitation during the SIR process would help safeguard their democratic rights and ensure inclusive electoral participation,” said Bijay Nayak, BJD general secretary.Must Read | Former CEC on SIR judgment: It gets the law right, the ground reality almost entirely wrongThe regional party demanded adequate awareness programmes, document-related assistance through labour offices and facilitation centres, coordination among labour authorities, BLOs, DEOs and EROs for inclusion of those residing outside the state, offline assistance camps, and support for those unfamiliar with digital procedures.The BJD, the main Opposition party in Odisha, also demanded that the voter mapping data prepared before the SIR notification be made public, as 9.8 lakh voters had been identified for potential deletion.Story continues below this ad“Public access to the mapping data would enable voters, Booth Level Agents (BLAs), political parties, and the general public to verify the correctness of the mapping process and facilitate timely identification and correction of discrepancies, thereby preventing grievances, confusion, and exclusion of genuine voters,” the party said in a memorandum recently submitted to the CEO, adding that the move is crucial to ensure transparency and smooth conduct of the process.The party also sought adequate training for booth level officers (BLOs) regarding online processes and procedures relating to Booth Level Agent (BLA) activities to ensure smooth coordination and timely assistance to voters. It said names of BLOs and BLAs should be prominently displayed on booth notice boards for transparency and easy communication.Also Read | Supreme Court upholds SIR, says ‘intended to secure free and fair elections’The party also sought clarification regarding the source, approval authority, and supervision of volunteers engaged at the booth level, saying such engagement should not involve any political party but preferably be drawn from the pool of regular government employees.The BJD has also formed a committee comprising six senior leaders to monitor and supervise the appointment of BLAs in all Assembly constituencies, their training, and related work.Story continues below this adSpeaking to reporters ahead of the SIR process, Odisha Chief Electoral Officer RS Gopalan said the effort was to ensure that no eligible voter is left out and no ineligible voter is enrolled during the process.Sujit Bisoyi is a Special Correspondent with the Indian Express and covers Odisha. His interests are in politics, policy and people’s stories. He tweets at @bisoyisujit87 ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on InstagramTags:OdishaSpecial Intensive Revision