ECI’s Special Intensive Revision to Ensure Accurate Electoral Rolls Nationwide

ECI's Special Intensive Revision being carried out in phases across country to ensure accurate electoral rolls

New Delhi, July 26

According to the Press Note of the Election Commission of India (ECI), the SIR was first undertaken in Bihar ahead of the 2025 State Legislative Assembly elections.

The exercise involved house-to-house enumeration by Booth Level Officers (BLOs), distribution and collection of enumeration forms, publication of a draft electoral roll, a specific period for filing claims and objections, and publication of the final electoral roll after due verification.

A similar process was followed during Phase II in Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, and the Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and Puducherry between October 2025 and April 2026.

He further informed the House that Phase III of the SIR is presently underway or proposed in the remaining States and Union Territories not covered in the first two phases, including the National Capital Territory of Delhi, in accordance with a schedule notified by the ECI, which is subject to revision from time to time based on operational requirements.

Throughout the exercise, consolidated data on enumeration, additions, deletions and corrections is compiled and published by the ECI on its official website and by the respective Chief Electoral Officers of the States and Union Territories as the revision progresses.

According to the ECI's Press Note, deletions during the SIR are carried out only after due verification by BLOs through house-to-house enumeration and broadly fall under four categories: death of the elector, permanent shifting of residence, duplicate entries of the same elector in more than one place, and electors found untraceable despite repeated visits.

The Minister informed the House that safeguards put in place by the ECI to prevent wrongful deletion of eligible electors include prior intimation and door-to-door visits by BLOs with a minimum of two-three attempts before an elector is treated as untraceable; deletion only after recording reasons in the prescribed enumeration format and following the process under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960; publication of draft electoral rolls and a statutory period for filing claims and objections before finalisation of the rolls; provision for appeal before the District Magistrate or designated appellate authority and further recourse to the Chief Electoral Officer; and deployment of Booth Level Agents nominated by political parties to verify entries and flag discrepancies during the enumeration and claims and objections stages.

The Supreme Court, in its judgment dated May 27, 2026, in Association for Democratic Reforms & Ors. vs. Election Commission of India & Ors. [W.P. (C) 640 of 2025], held, inter alia, that the SIR exercise is within the statutory mandate of the ECI under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and is in consonance with the Election Commission's constitutional obligation under Article 324 to ensure free and fair elections.

As per the ECI's Press Note, the Commission carries out internal quality checks at each stage of the SIR, including cross-verification of BLO enumeration through supervisory officers, random sample audits of deleted entries, and public disclosure of draft and final rolls to enable scrutiny by political parties and electors. Grievances received during the claims and objections period are examined and, where found valid, names are restored before finalisation of the roll.

— ANI