The Election Commission of India (ECI) convened its third conference of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) from all States and Union Territories on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, to assess preparedness for the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The conference, held at the India International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Management (IIIDEM) in New Delhi, was inaugurated by Chief Election Commissioner Shri Gyanesh Kumar and attended by Election Commissioners Dr. Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Dr. Vivek Joshi.

The primary focus of the conference was to evaluate the readiness of CEO offices across all States and Union Territories for the SIR exercise, which is a critical process to update and maintain accurate electoral rolls. The ECI reiterated its commitment to ensuring that no eligible voter is excluded and no ineligible person is enrolled. The conference also evaluated the appointment and training of key electoral officials, including District Election Officers (DEOs), Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), Booth Level Officers (BLOs), and Booth Level Agents (BLAs), to ensure the smooth execution of the SIR process.

The SIR is likely to commence with January 1, 2026, as the qualifying date and follows a pilot exercise conducted in Bihar ahead of the Assembly elections. The poll panel had initially announced the initiative on June 24, citing urbanization and migration as factors causing repeated or outdated entries in the rolls. The last intensive revision was carried out in 2003, and the ECI has raised concerns about potential duplicate or outdated entries in the electoral rolls, given the significant urbanization and internal migration since then. The ECI stated that the situation warrants an intensive verification drive to verify each person before enrollment as an elector. Electoral rolls are revised annually, with additions and deletions made before elections, but the SIR aims to recompile the rolls afresh.

During the conference, CEOs presented detailed presentations on voter data in their respective regions, including the number of voters and new guidelines for document submission, as well as on the additional documents electors can submit to prove eligibility, including citizenship, as part of the intensive revision process. The event featured a detailed presentation by the CEO of Bihar, highlighting strategies, challenges, and best practices adopted during their SIR process, offering valuable insights for other States and UTs to emulate. For Bihar, the EC required all electors to submit new forms along with 11 eligibility documents, and those added after 2003 were also required to provide supporting documents. All of Bihar's 7.89 crore existing electors were required to resubmit these forms.

The SIR order has faced legal challenges in the Supreme Court, with petitioners questioning the ECI's authority to verify citizenship and criticizing the exclusion of commonly held documents, such as Aadhaar, ration cards, and voter ID, from the list of 11 accepted proofs. The ECI's proactive measures underscore its dedication to strengthening India's electoral framework, ensuring transparency, inclusivity, and efficiency in the democratic process. The meeting holds significance as it comes ahead of the assembly elections in key states, including West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry. This is the third meeting of CEOs after Gyanesh Kumar took over as the chief election commissioner in February.