Amid preparations for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttarakhand, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched an initiative to reconnect migrant Uttarakhandis living across the country and abroad with their ancestral villages by encouraging them to register as voters there.
The move is aimed at promoting reverse migration to hill villages and addressing concerns linked to the upcoming delimitation of Assembly constituencies. Currently, the pre-SIR process is underway, during which the 2003 electoral rolls are being matched with the current voter lists. Preliminary findings indicate that several voters listed in the 18-year-old rolls are now residing in other states and are registered as voters elsewhere.
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In view of the revision exercise, political parties have been instructed to appoint Booth Level Agents (BLAs) at both Assembly constituency and booth levels to participate in the verification process. The BJP has completed the appointment of BLA-1 at the constituency level and set December 31 as the deadline for appointing BLA-2 at the booth level.
Alongside this, the party has begun outreach efforts to migrant Uttarakhandis through migrant associations, social organisations and digital platforms. BJP state general secretary Kundan Parihar said encouraging migrants to register as voters in their native villages would strengthen development efforts and support reverse migration.
He added that initiatives such as the ‘Mera Mat-Mera Gaon’ campaign are being supported to motivate migrants to reconnect with their roots. The effort also gains significance in the context of the proposed delimitation exercise, which is population-based and has raised concerns that Assembly seats in the hill regions could decline.
By encouraging migrants to enrol as voters in their native villages, the party hopes to boost population representation in rural and mountainous areas and ensure their continued participation in Uttarakhand’s development process.