The Election Commission of India (ECI) is gearing up for a potential nationwide rollout of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with preparations underway for a month-long exercise. In a significant move, Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) from all states and union territories are scheduled to convene in Delhi on September 10, 2025, to review their preparedness with the central poll body.
This meeting gains importance as the ECI aims to discuss the logistics and strategies for implementing SIR across the country. The agenda includes presentations from the CEOs, detailing the number of electors in their respective regions and providing insights into the last intensive revision conducted.
The need for a pan-India SIR arises from several factors. Electoral rolls are typically revised annually and before each election; the SIR represents a more thorough and intensive review process. The Election Commission has expressed its constitutional mandate to protect the integrity of electoral rolls, necessitating such comprehensive revisions. The intensive revision aims to identify and remove illegal foreign migrants by verifying their place of birth. This has gained importance amid crackdowns on migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar in several states.
The upcoming assembly elections in states like West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, and Tamil Nadu, along with Puducherry in 2026, also point to the possibility of SIR being implemented in these states by the end of the year.
However, the SIR exercise is not without its challenges. Opposition parties and civil society groups have approached the Supreme Court, raising concerns that the ECI's specified documents for the intensive revision could potentially deny many citizens their legal right to vote. The revision of voters' lists in Bihar faced criticism from opposition parties, who alleged that the exercise could disenfranchise eligible citizens due to a lack of proper documentation.
In response to these concerns, the Election Commission has introduced additional measures in the ongoing intensive revision of electoral rolls to address concerns over the enrollment of illegal migrants. An additional 'declaration form' has been introduced for a category of applicants seeking to become electors or shifting from outside the state. They will have to declare that they were born in India before July 1, 1987, and provide any document establishing their date and/or place of birth. The Supreme Court has also directed the ECI to consider Aadhaar as an eligibility document if a voter cannot furnish any of the 11 indicative documents and faces deletion from the voter list.
During a recently concluded SIR exercise in Bihar, 65 lakh names were removed from the draft electoral list during the initial phase. The poll body cited several reasons for deleting names, including migration (25 lakh), deceased individuals (22 lakh), individuals "not found" at their addresses (9.7 lakh), and those registered in more than one constituency (7 lakh).
The Election Commission has also taken steps to ensure transparency and inclusivity in the revision process. Booth-level officers and political party agents are involved, and the ECI reports high participation, with a significant percentage of voters submitting enumeration forms.
While the exact timelines for the pan-India SIR are not yet known, the upcoming meeting on September 10 will be crucial in determining the roadmap for this significant exercise. The poll body will likely decide whether to conduct the SIR simultaneously across the country later this year or in early 2026.
