The Election Commission (EC) is set to showcase the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as a significant stride towards strengthening the electoral process in India. The SIR is a large-scale, door-to-door verification drive conducted by the ECI to ensure the accuracy of electoral rolls. The primary objective of the SIR is to create an error-free voter list where every eligible citizen is correctly included, and ineligible or duplicate names are removed.

The nationwide SIR process was announced on October 27, 2025, by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in New Delhi. The EC has the power to revise electoral rolls across the country in any state without prior permission from any authority, as per Article 324 of the Constitution of India and Section 21 (3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is being carried out with the intent of including all genuine electors and removing ineligible names. The commission has undertaken 28 major initiatives over the past six months to streamline and strengthen the country's electoral process. The SIR exercise is planned ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry.

The EC has taken several steps to improve the accuracy of electoral rolls, including launching the SIR in various states to ensure no eligible voter is left out and no ineligible names remain. Other measures include linking death registration data to provide timely updates and eliminating instances of the same EPIC number being issued to different people.

In Tamil Nadu, the Election Commission has extended the deadline for filing claims and objections related to the ongoing SIR until January 30, 2026. The initial deadline ended on January 18, but was extended to ensure maximum voter inclusion. The Commission has urged eligible citizens to use the extended period to submit their claims and objections relating to the electoral rolls.

The Supreme Court heard petitions alleging discrepancies in the conduct of the SIR in West Bengal, which led to exclusions from the electoral roll. The Court has directed the Election Commission to ensure transparent verification of individuals in the 'logical discrepancies' category. The Court also directed the EC to publish lists of individuals who have been sent notices citing "logical discrepancies" in enumeration forms at Panchayat/Block offices.

The Election Commission is also introducing new measures for voter convenience, such as mobile deposit facilities at polling stations, fixing the maximum number of voters per polling station at 1,200, and redesigning voter information slips with clearly displayed serial and part numbers.

The SIR aims to ensure that electoral rolls across India are accurate, up-to-date, and inclusive. The Election Commission is actively working to improve the accuracy and integrity of the electoral rolls by removing ineligible entries, updating voter details, and facilitating the inclusion of newly eligible voters.