The Election Commission of India (ECI) will be holding a conference of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of all the states and Union Territories on September 10 to plan the nationwide (Special Intensive Revision) of voter roll. The exercise is currently being done in poll-bound Bihar and has already led to multiple controversies.
In its first step towards a nationwide SIR of electoral rolls, the Election Commission is likely to hold this conference to review preparedness, according to The Indian Express. It added that the qualifying date for the nationwide SIR is likely to be January 1, 2026.
The report stated that the CEOs of all the states and UTs have been asked to make presentations on September 10 regarding the number of electors in their regions, the details of the last intensive revision, etc. The exact timelines of the exercise is not known yet, the report said, citing a source.
The top poll panel of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, is likely to meet the CEOs at the commission’s India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) in Dwarka, the IE report added.
EC’s June 24 order mentioned nationwide SIR
In its June 24, 2024 order, the ECI had notified that it would conduct an intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar, which was last conducted in 2003. “Thus, the situation warrants an intensive verification drive to verify each person before enrolment as an elector,” the order said, adding that urbanisation and rapid migration may have led to multiple additions in the rolls.
Revision of the electoral rolls are done every year and before each election, with additions and deletions made to the existing rolls. However, this time, the EC is preparing the fresh rolls after taking fresh enumeration form and declaration, with a list of 11 eligibility documents.
Those already in the voters list were also required to submit forms and for those added after 2003, documents as well, to prove their eligibility.
Bihar SIR in SC
The opposition criticised the timing of the SIR in Bihar claiming there was no need to do this right before the elections, and alleged that it was an attempt to remove eligible voters from the rolls to benefit the ruling alliance. A batch of petitions was filed against the exercise in the Supreme Court.
The top court heard the matter and first asked the EC to make public the names of those deleted so that people can timely move objections to that.
On the other hand, the petitioners also questioned the rationale for the EC’s list of 11 documents, which does not include the most commonly held Aadhaar, ration card, and the EC’s own Voter ID. The court then asked the poll panel to accept Aadhaar as the proof for enrollment.
The court said people can move objections even after the September 1 deadline. The final electoral roll of Bihar is due to be published on September 30, as polls are necessitated in the state in October-November.