The Election Commission of India (ECI) has instructed all Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) in States and Union Territories to complete their arrangements for the coming country-wide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The instruction, issued during the two-day Conference of Chief Electoral Officers, which took place at the India International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Management (IIIDEM) in New Delhi.
Conference Theme: Enhancing Electoral Roll Precision
The conference – chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and attended by Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi and CEOs from all the States and Union Territories.
In the course of the sessions, the Commission considered the overall readiness for the SIR process, taking exhaustive stock of progress on work done on previous directives given to CEOs. https://www.eci.gov.in
The agenda, as per ECI –
Mapping electors of today with those enumerated in the last SIR.
Rationalization of polling stations so that no station has more than 1,200 electors.
Providing timely training and appointment of District Election Officers (DEOs), Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), Assistant EROs, Booth Level Officers (BLOs), and Booth Level Agents (BLAs).
Poll-Bound States Under the Limelight
The Commission also had one-to-one interactions with CEOs of poll-going States and Union Territories — Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and West Bengal — to assess their preparedness for future electoral exercises.
Top officials from the ECI made technical presentations on different aspects of the SIR process to answer questions raised by the participating CEOs. The intent was to rationalize procedures and provide consistency in all regions prior to the nationwide launch.
Follow-Up to September’s SIR Meeting
This two-day conference took place as a follow-up to a similar SIR readiness meeting on September 10, during which States and UTs presented in detail on:
Number of registered electors,
Qualifying dates of the last revision, and
Status of their electoral rolls.
During the session, the CEO of Bihar presented a case study on strategies, challenges, and best practices from the State’s recent SIR exercise, which other regions are now using as a reference model.
Bihar’s SIR: Lessons and Controversy
Bihar’s latest Special Intensive Revision of voter lists, undertaken in preparation for its future Assembly elections, has generated national interest.
The last published list had 7.42 crore electors, whereas in June 2024, there were 7.89 crore electors. Approximately 65 lakh voters were deleted from the draft rolls, including 3.66 lakh ineligible electors, whereas 21.53 lakh new voters were included through Form 6 submissions.
Critics have challenged the exercise in court, alleging that it unfairly targeted certain communities. The Supreme Court is now examining the case amid concerns over transparency and procedural integrity.
National SIR: Strengthening Voter Roll Integrity
CEC Gyanesh Kumar reaffirmed that the national Special Intensive Revision is to ensure a transparent, correct, and inclusive electoral roll — a pillar of India’s democratic system.
“The Election Commission is committed to keeping the electoral roll pure and clean,” an ECI press release pointed out. The Commission stressed that timely finishing of all preparatory activities by State CEOs is essential to ensure a smooth, error-free revision.
Key Takeaways
Objective: Clean, fresh, and inclusive voter rolls before the next polls.
Focus Areas: Mapping, rationalisation, and capacity building at all administrative levels.
Leadership: CEC Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi headed the review.
Future Steps: States and UTs to finalize SIR preparations and report progress to the ECI.
With the countrywide SIR to be launched shortly, the Election Commission is strengthening State-level coordination, electoral authorities, and field functionaries. The ECI wishes that these efforts would maximize transparency, minimize duplication, and maximize voter trust in the polls — before pivotal elections due in 2026 and later.
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