Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls: Definition, Objectives, Significance, & Challenges

The Election Commission of India started SIR 2.0 on November 4, 2025, in 12 states/UTs, covering over 51 crore voters. It gained attention after 65–68 lakh voters were removed in Bihar, leading to Supreme Court intervention and debate on fair elections and voter inclusion.

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Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is a large-scale, comprehensive exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India to verify, update, and purify the electoral rolls, ensuring that all eligible citizens are registered as voters and all ineligible entries are removed.

• Authorised under Article 324 of the Constitution (superintendence and control of elections) and Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
• Aims to include every eligible Indian citizen aged 18 years or above as on the qualifying date.
• Voters registered after January 2003 must provide documentary proof of birth, date of birth, and parentage.
• Eliminates duplicate registrations, deceased persons, residents who have shifted constituencies, and voters with incorrect information.
• BLOs conduct house-to-house enumeration, distribute pre-filled enumeration forms, and verify voter information on the ground.
• Digital SIR exercises utilise online submission portals, SMS alerts, and digital verification tools to ensure a transparent and accessible process.

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The core objective of SIR is to ensure accuracy and integrity of the electoral rolls, so that every valid voter is included and no ineligible name remains. In particular, it works to:

• Verify the details of existing electors to confirm they remain eligible and ordinarily resident in their registered constituency.
• Introduce complete transparency in the process of adding or deleting electors from electoral rolls through documented verification.
• Remove multiple registrations of the same person across different constituencies or in the same constituency, which can lead to electoral fraud.
• Account for India's rapid urbanisation and internal migration by updating rolls to reflect where people currently reside.
• Enable every eligible citizen to exercise their fundamental right to vote, ensuring true representative democracy.
• Conduct intensive revisions before major elections to ensure fresh enumeration and reduce reliance on legacy data accumulated over decades.

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Cleaning up the electoral rolls through SIR has wide-ranging significance:

• Eliminates Ghost Voters: Reduces fictional voters and duplicate registrations, improving the fairness and legitimacy of elections​
• Addresses Migration: Accommodates the reality of India's massive internal migration patterns, particularly affecting rural-to-urban movements​
• Improves Inclusion: Particularly benefits marginalised groups such as young voters, internal migrants, disabled voters, and women whose registration may have been overlooked.
• Enhances Accuracy: Creates more accurate voter rolls that truly represent the eligible electorate, preventing distortions in turnout calculations.
• Facilitates Participation: Ensures that eligible citizens, who might have shifted residence or newly became eligible, can exercise their constitutional right to vote.

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SIR is firmly rooted in India’s electoral laws and constitutional provisions:

• Article 324 of the Constitution: Vests the Election Commission with "superintendence, direction and control of elections" in India, providing constitutional authority to prepare, revise, and maintain electoral rolls​.
• Article 326 of the Constitution: Guarantees universal adult suffrage, stating every citizen 18+ years old (who is not disqualified) has the right to be registered as a voter​.
• Representation of the People Act, 1950: Primary statute governing electoral matters in India, with Section 21(3) specifically empowering the ECI to carry out "special revision" of electoral rolls at any time for reasons recorded​.
• Section 16 of the RP Act: Disqualifies non-citizens from registration, establishing nationality as a fundamental eligibility criterion​.
• Section 19 of the RP Act: Sets the eligibility criteria for voter registration, must be 18+ years old as on the qualifying date and ordinarily resident in the constituency​.
• Sections 20-24 of the RP Act: Outline the detailed procedure for preparation and revision of electoral rolls, including notification requirements, claim and objection procedures, and publication timelines​.
• Qualifying Date Provision: The ECI specifies a "qualifying date" (often July 1 for the current phase) by which a person must turn 18 to be eligible for inclusion in that particular revision​.
• Supreme Court Oversight: The apex court can review SIR processes for constitutional validity and has powers under Article 32 to hear petitions challenging electoral procedures affecting fundamental rights​.
• Adjudication procedures: The legal framework provides for Electoral Registration Officers to decide on claims and objections, with appeal mechanisms available to aggrieved persons.

As of December 10, 2025, the ECI extended enumeration deadlines in six states and Union Territories due to ground-level implementation challenges, giving citizens additional time to submit enumeration forms.

• Tamil Nadu and Gujarat: Submission deadline extended to December 19, 2025 (from December 14, 2025).
• Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands: Deadline extended to December 23, 2025 (from December 18, 2025)​.
• Uttar Pradesh: Deadline extended to December 31, 2025 (from December 26, 2025), with final roll publication scheduled for February 28, 2026.

Phase 2 of SIR covers 12 states and Union Territories, affecting over 51 crore voters, making it one of the largest electoral revision exercises in independent India's history.

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Although Special Intensive Revision is important, it faces challenges like document issues, population changes, and a lack of transparency. 

• Document Problem: Many genuine voters are removed because they do not have documents like birth certificates or passports, especially the poor, illiterate, and homeless.
• Bihar Issue: In Bihar, 65–68 lakh voters were removed, raising concern that the process focused more on removing names than including genuine voters.
• Migrant Voters: People who move for work often lack local address proof, making it hard for them to stay on voter lists.
• Gender Bias Concern: In Bihar, more women voters were deleted, raising concerns about fairness.
• Minority Concerns: Reports suggest that more Muslim voters were removed compared to other groups, creating fear of bias.
• Citizenship Confusion: Some people fear the process questions their citizenship, not just their residence.
• Limited Access: Many voters, especially in rural areas, cannot use online systems due to a lack of internet or digital knowledge.
• Loss of Trust: Past experiences have made people doubt the fairness of the Election Commission.

For Special Intensive Revision to work well across India, a balanced approach is needed that ensures clean voter lists while not excluding genuine voters. Lessons from Bihar and Phase-2 show that clear strategies are necessary to protect both electoral fairness and voter inclusion. Some are:

• Use simple messages in local languages so people clearly understand SIR and their role in it.
• Promote online voter verification and correction through the ECI portal and apps.
• Provide proper training and time to BLOs to reduce errors during door-to-door checks.
• Publish draft rolls on time and allow easy objections and corrections.

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