What is SIR?
“Special
Intensive Revision” (SIR) refers to a full-scale overhaul of the voter list
(electoral rolls) in a given region. Under SIR:
- The entire list
of registered voters is re-verified, not just updated.
- New eligible
voters may be added and ineligible or duplicate entries removed.
- The exercise is
more intensive than the regular annual “summary revision” of rolls.
Why is SIR being done
now?
There
are several reasons:
- India has seen
huge migration (both interstate and rural→urban) and
urbanisation over the past decades, which means electoral rolls may have duplicates,
or many entries where people no longer live in the constituency.
- The Election
Commission of India (ECI) says it is constitutionally obliged to ensure
that only eligible citizens are included and ineligible
persons (non-citizens, those who have moved, etc.) are
removed.
- The last
nationwide SIR was done around 2002-04 – so it has been over 20 years in
many places.
With
these factors, the ECI has decided to carry out SIR in several states and Union
Territories ahead of upcoming elections.
The Legal &
Constitutional Framework
It
is helpful to understand how SIR fits in legally:
- Under Article
326 of the Constitution of India, every citizen of India who is 18 years
or older and satisfies other requirements has the right to vote.
- Article 324
gives the ECI the power of “superintendence, direction and control” of
elections and electoral rolls.
- The statutory
basis is the Representation of the People Act, 1950 (RP Act). Section 21
gives the ECI power to revise electoral rolls and also to carry
out special revisions “at any time, for reasons to be
recorded”.
- The Registration
of Electors Rules, 1960 (RER) also set out rules for how revisions are to
be done.
Thus,
SIR is a legally recognised exercise — but because of its scale and impact, it
also raises many important questions about implementation and fairness.
How does SIR work – Step
by step
Here
is a simplified breakdown of how the process is being implemented:
- Notification and
freeze of current rolls
- The ECI issues
a notification specifying that SIR will be carried out in a particular
state/UT or across many.
- The current
electoral roll (as of a qualifying date) is “frozen” so any
additions/deletions after that date are carefully processed.
- Pre-revision
preparation & mapping
- The state/UT
chief electoral officer (CEO) and district election officers prepare by
appointing Booth Level Officers (BLOs), mapping polling stations,
training staff.
- Existing entries
are mapped against previous roll data (for example from 2003) to identify
inconsistencies.
- Door-to-door
enumeration / verification
- BLOs visit each
household/constituency area to verify names, ask eligible persons to
submit enumeration forms (Form-6 or other as prescribed).
- People whose
names are not in earlier rolls may need to provide additional documents
to prove eligibility/citizenship.
- Draft
publication of rolls
- After
enumeration and verification, a draft electoral roll is published,
giving citizens opportunity to file claims and objections (if
their name is missing or incorrectly included) within a specified period.
- Hearing, final
verification & publication
- The
claims/objections are examined, corrections made, notices served to
persons whose eligibility may be in question.
- Finally the
updated electoral roll is published and becomes the valid list for
upcoming elections.
Key Dates & Coverage
(2025 Exercise)
- The second phase
of SIR (in 12 states and UTs) is scheduled for enumeration from 4 November to 4 December 2025.
- Draft electoral
rolls publication: around 9 December 2025.
- Claims &
objections period: up to about 8 January 2026.
- Final electoral
rolls publication: 7 February 2026.
- The states/UTs
covered include: Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Goa, Puducherry,
Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan,
West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep.
What are the objectives /
claimed benefits?
Proponents
of SIR highlight several benefits:
- Cleaner
and more accurate voter lists: Removing
duplicates, people who have moved out, deceased voters, etc.
- Inclusion
of eligible voters who may have been left out
earlier due to migration, missing documentation, etc.
- Strengthening
electoral integrity: Ensuring one
citizen – one vote, eliminating ghost entries or bogus names.
- Better
polling management: With updated rolls, polling
stations, booths can be better organised (for example fewer voters per
booth in over-crowded areas) which improves the voter experience.
What are the concerns and
criticisms?
Despite
its stated benefits, SIR has raised significant concerns:
- Risk
of disenfranchisement: Critics argue
that the documentation requirements and tight timelines could result in
genuine voters – especially from marginalised communities, migrants,
women, poor families – being excluded.
- Over-burdening
voters:
Asking voters to produce proof of citizenship or proof of parentage in
some cases is seen as imposing a heavy burden.
- Timing
in poll-bound states: Some states
that are going to elections soon have raised warnings that the SIR being
carried out just before polls could affect voter participation or
fairness.
- Transparency
& fairness:
Questions about how deletions are done, whether people get proper
notice/hearing, and the role of political oversight.
- Legal
challenges:
There are petitions in the Supreme Court claiming that the SIR process
violates constitutional rights (Articles 14, 21, 326) by making voting
conditional on heavy documentation.
What it means for a
typical voter
If
you are an eligible voter in India, here’s what you should keep in mind with
regard to SIR:
- Make sure your name is listed in the draft roll when it
is published; check via your state CEO website or local election office.
- If your name is
missing but you believe you are eligible (aged 18+, resident of the
constituency), you should file a claim for
inclusion (Form-6 or other form as specified).
- If your name is
listed but some details are wrong (wrong address, spelling mistake, moved
to another place), you can file a correction or
objection.
- Keep your
supporting documents ready,
especially proof of residence, citizenship (if required), date of birth,
etc. (Check what your state has prescribed).
- Stay alert for
visits from BLOs (Booth Level Officers). They may come to your house and
collect details or ask you to fill forms.
- If you are a
migrant (working away from home) or have shifted residence, you must
ensure you are listed in the correct constituency where you are ordinarily
resident.
- Participate in
the claims and objections window when draft rolls are published – this is
your chance to ensure your name is correct.
- After final
publication of the rolls, ensure you know your polling station / booth number
– this might change if booths have been reorganised.
Why it matters
A
few reasons why this revision is very important:
- Voting
is a fundamental right in a democracy. If eligible persons are left out of
the electoral rolls, it affects the principle of universal adult
suffrage.
- Accurate voter
lists reduce the possibility of fraud, duplication, or manipulation of
voting. This enhances trust in
the electoral process.
- With huge
internal migration in India, many people may be registered in one place
but live somewhere else; updating the rolls ensures the representation is
aligned with where people live and vote.
- For policymakers
and administrators, updated rolls mean better planning of polling booths,
voter facilitation, especially for remote, tribal, urban-migrant
populations.
- For journalists,
civil society and voters, SIR provides an opportunity to review how
inclusive, transparent and fair the electoral process is – safeguarding
democracy itself.
Key Things to Watch /
Questions to Ask
Here
are some questions that observers, voters, civil-society should keep an eye on:
- Are the time-lines for SIR realistic and giving
enough time for all eligible voters (especially remote, poor, women) to
participate?
- Are the documents required fair and accessible to
all — including the marginalised, migrants, informal workers, people
without Aadhaar or birth certificates?
- Are the notifications of the draft rolls and
claims/objections widely disseminated and comprehensible (in local
languages, with support for persons with disability)?
- Are deletions or
exclusions transparent, with proper notice and hearing for
persons whose names might be removed?
- Are political
parties given fair access and are the processes insulated from partisan
interference?
- After the final
roll is published, is there monitoring of its impact – e.g., whether there
is a drop in actual voters, especially among vulnerable groups?
- Does the roll
revision translate into better polling booth logistics, fewer glitches,
better access for voters?
Conclusion
The
Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is a major exercise with high stakes.
Done well, it can strengthen India’s electoral democracy by ensuring every
eligible citizen’s right to vote is preserved and the voter list is
trustworthy. But if done poorly, with insufficient safeguards, documentation
burdens or tight timelines, it risks excluding many voters and undermining
trust in elections.
For
the average citizen, this means staying alert, checking the electoral roll
status, verifying your name and details, and engaging in the process
(claims/objections) if needed. Democracy depends not just on casting a vote —
but on being able to cast it.
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