A Booth Level Officer conducts door-to-door verification as part of India’s 2025 Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
“A democracy is only as strong as its voter list—SIR is India’s moment to renew that strength.”
GUARDING THE RIGHT TO VOTE: WHY SIR IS CRUCIAL FOR INDIA’S ELECTORAL INTEGRITY
What is SIR — and why now?
In a vibrant democracy like India, elections are only as credible as the underlying electoral rolls. These are formal lists of voters: names of citizens who are eligible to vote in a given constituency. The authority to prepare, maintain, and periodically revise these rolls rests with Election Commission of India (ECI), under the constitutional power bestowed by Article 324 of the Constitution of India and statutory provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 (RP Act) and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 .
Ordinarily, the ECI carries out an annual or periodic “summary” or “routine” revision of the electoral roll — adding new voters (e.g., who turned 18), removing duplicates, correcting errors. But sometimes, decades of urbanization, migration, population growth, and demographic changes can cause the roll to become bloated, inaccurate, or outdated .
That is when the Commission resorts to something more comprehensive: a Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Under SIR, the voter list is revisited from the ground up — an effort to ensure every eligible voter is included, and ineligible or outdated entries (deceased, relocated, duplicates) are removed .
The 2025 SIR has been launched across multiple states and union territories — including poll-bound states — illustrating the urgency and nationwide scope of the exercise .
Legal foundations: Why the ECI can, and must, do SIR
The legal authority for SIR stems from:
- Article 324 of the Constitution, which vests the ECI with superintendence, direction, and control over election-related processes .
- Section 21 of the RP Act, 1950 (and associated registration rules), which allow electoral rolls to be prepared and revised — including special revision when required .
Thus, SIR is not an ad-hoc political move but a constitutionally and statutorily authorized mechanism.
At the same time, SIR must adhere to principles of transparency, fairness, and inclusiveness. The process must respect eligible citizens’ right to vote (as guaranteed under Article 326 of the Constitution of India), allow for claims and objections, provide opportunity for corrections, and ensure no eligible voter is arbitrarily excluded .
Indeed, in 2025, legal challenges have arisen: petitions were moved before Supreme Court of India questioning the pan-India SIR on grounds of potential disenfranchisement. The Court agreed to hear these pleas .
In one landmark case — Association for Democratic Reforms v. Election Commission of India — the Court intervened to safeguard voters’ rights. It directed ECI to permit recognized identity documents (like voter ID, Aadhaar, ration card) to validate any challenge, especially for those missing from draft rolls .
Hence, SIR sits at the important intersection of administrative necessity and constitutional rights.
What happens during SIR — step by step
SIR is far more than a cursory update; it is a complex, multi-step, often door-to-door, nationwide exercise. Key components include:
- Enumeration forms distribution: ECI sends out “enumeration forms” to all voters in the existing roll. These forms ask voters to confirm their details — address, age, name, etc. New voters (turning 18), migrants, relocated citizens, or those not yet registered are invited to apply .
- House-to-house verification: In many cases, local Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are assigned to visit households to collect filled forms, verify the physical presence or status of voters, check identities, and confirm eligibility .
- Removal of ineligible entries: Names of persons who have died, permanently moved out, duplicates, or otherwise ineligible entries are identified and removed (after due verification) .
- Addition of new eligible voters: Young adults (18+), migrants who have settled, or previously omitted voters can be included, once they submit valid documents and fill enumeration forms .
- Publication of draft rolls, claims and objections: Once enumeration is done and entries tallied, the ECI publishes a draft electoral roll. Citizens and political parties get an opportunity to raise objections, claim omissions, or seek corrections .
- Final roll publication: After due scrutiny, corrections and objections, the final electoral roll is published — to be used in upcoming elections .
Because of this exhaustive process, SIR is sometimes described as a nationwide “clean-up” of the electoral database .
2025-26 SIR: What is happening now — scale & significance
In 2025, the ECI has rolled out a pan-India — or at least multi-state/UT — SIR ahead of several major elections .
- On November 4, 2025, the ECI officially ordered the second phase of SIR for 9 states and 3 union territories .
- By early December, nearly 47 crore enumeration forms have been digitized in Phase II — indicating a vast logistical and administrative effort .
- The SIR now covers over 50 crore electors — a massive part of India’s electorate — making this possibly the largest voter-list update in decades .
Why is this significant? Firstly, in the last two decades India has undergone enormous internal migration, urbanization, and demographic shifts. A voter list prepared years ago may no longer reflect reality. SIR aims to correct that mismatch, safeguard the principle of “one person, one vote,” and prevent electoral fraud or manipulation via duplicate/fake entries .
Moreover, by re-validating entire rolls, SIR also opens space for new, young voters — those who turned 18 — to get enrolled. It systematically includes migrants and ensures their enfranchisement (if they meet residency criteria), which strengthens democracy’s inclusiveness .
Progress of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) Phase II in 2025, illustrating the rapid rise and completion of enumeration forms printed, distributed, and digitised across 12 states and union territories.- Source: PIB
Legal and democratic controversies: the risks and criticisms
Despite its noble aims, SIR has sparked debate and legal challenges — and not without reason.
- Critics argue that SIR may lead to disenfranchisement, especially of poor, marginalized, transient, or migrant populations — those who may struggle to produce documentation, find time for BLO visits, or complete forms. Such exclusions can undermine the democratic right to vote. Indeed, petitions have been filed in the Supreme Court alleging that SIR is arbitrary and risks stripping eligible citizens of franchise .
- There are concerns about transparency and accountability. In one directive, the Court asked the ECI to publish district-wise lists of all deleted voters, with reasons (death, migration, duplication) — a measure intended to prevent opaque deletions .
- Administrative burden and oversight: A nationwide SIR is extremely resource-intensive — thousands of BLOs, EROs, data digitization, verification — and human error, logistical delays, inadvertent omissions or delays may occur .
- Political sensitivity: Given that electoral rolls are central to who gets to vote, SIR becomes politically charged, especially ahead of major elections — opposition parties fear that deletions or delays may affect certain voter blocs disproportionately. This tension has fueled multiple court petitions .
Thus, while SIR is legally valid, its execution must be careful, transparent, and sensitive to the real-world challenges faced by citizens.
Why every citizen should care — not just politicians
At first glance, SIR might seem like a technical administrative exercise — something for the bureaucrats to manage. But in a democracy, voter lists are the foundation of political power and civic rights.
- Your vote matters only if you’re on the roll. If your name is missing due to outdated records, migration, or oversight — you may be denied the chance to vote. SIR gives a chance to correct that.
- Equality and fairness: Accurate rolls help prevent double voting, fake entries, or manipulation — protecting the integrity of the “one person, one vote” ideal.
- Inclusion of marginalized voices: Migrant workers, new adults, relocated families — SIR offers a fresh start to ensure they are not left out of the democratic process.
- Transparency and accountability: Because SIR involves public notices, draft lists, claims/objections, and (in some cases) public disclosure of deletions — it enhances trust in electoral processes.
In short: an honest electoral roll strengthens democracy; a flawed one undermines it. SIR — done right — can protect our rights, our voices, and ultimately, the legitimacy of elections.
What can you do — as a citizen
- If you receive an enumeration form under SIR, fill it carefully and submit it (offline to your local Booth Level Officer, or online if that option is provided).
- If you recently moved, changed your address, or turned 18 — ensure your details are updated.
- Once draft electoral rolls are published, check your name carefully. If there are errors (wrong address, missing details, missing name), file a claim/objection as allowed under the process.
- Encourage friends, family — especially migrants or elderly — to verify their details; ensure no one is left out.
- Stay informed: monitor official notices from ECI/CEOs, and be willing to raise legitimate concerns if you suspect wrongful deletion.
SIR in 2025-26: A critical moment for Indian democracy
The current nationwide (or multi-state) SIR marks one of the most significant electoral-roll revision exercises in India in decades. Given massive demographic shifts, internal migration and urbanization — the old rolls risked becoming stale, inaccurate, or vulnerable to fraud. By re-validating the voter list for over 50 crore electors, the Supreme Court of India- mandated checks and balances, combined with the constitutional authority of the ECI, give this process legal legitimacy and democratic urgency.
As per AIR ” Meanwhile, on the occasion of World Disability Day, Madhya Pradesh has taken a unique initiative. Under SIR-2026, a special video has been released in sign language to help locate names in the 2003 electoral roll. The initiative aims to ensure equal participation of persons with disabilities and to further strengthen the democratic process. ”
However, the success of SIR will be measured not only by the number of forms digitized, but by how fairly and transparently it is conducted — whether eligible voters are not inadvertently disenfranchised; whether deletions are justified; whether the final rolls are inclusive; whether migrants, young voters, marginalized citizens get full representation.
In that sense, SIR is as much a test for our electoral institutions as it is for the health of our democracy — and for every citizen, it is both a responsibility and an opportunity.
SOURCE –
READ ALSO – Article 324 of the Constitution
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