Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls

Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has rolled out a major Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, covering nearly 8 crore voters through new enumeration forms. As part of a broader nationwide plan, every voter must resubmit their documents and forms—especially those who were added after the last update. Because of the scale, the verification process is extremely demanding. The exercise will wrap up with the release of the final electoral roll before the Assembly elections.

What is the Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls?

• About SIR: The Special Intensive Revision is a large-scale, door-to-door verification exercise carried out by the ECI. Its goal is to clean up and update voter lists so they are accurate, current, and free from errors.
• Legal Basis: This revision is conducted under Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. The ECI is also empowered by Article 324 of the Constitution, giving it full authority to revise electoral rolls whenever required.
• Key Features:
  • Booth Level Officers (BLOs) visit homes to verify voter details.
  • Eligible voters are added, while duplicate, ineligible, and deceased entries are removed.
  • Voters must submit valid documents proving their residence and citizenship.
• Historical Background: SIRs have been carried out several times since the 1950s in different states, often triggered by major events like migration or delimitation. Bihar’s previous SIR before the current 2025 revision was done in 2003.

What Are Electoral Rolls?

• About Electoral Rolls: An electoral roll—or voter list—contains the names of all registered voters in a particular area. These lists are continuously updated to include new adults who turn 18 and to remove those who are no longer eligible due to death or legal disqualification. Their preparation and maintenance follow Articles 324, 325, and 326 of the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
• Types of Electoral Rolls :
  • General Electoral Roll: For regular voters in Lok Sabha, Assembly, and local elections.
  • Service Electoral Roll: For members of the armed forces and government employees posted away from home.
  • Overseas Electoral Roll: For eligible NRIs who choose to register as voters.
• Electoral Roll Revision: This is the ongoing process of updating the list by adding new voters, correcting entries, and removing those who are no longer eligible. Revisions happen before elections to ensure the list is updated and error-free.

Why Is a Special Intensive Revision Needed?

• Fixing Long-Standing Errors: SIR helps correct old mistakes that may affect the fairness of the election process. Since Bihar’s last SIR happened in 2003, the 2025 revision aims to verify around 4.74 crore voters—roughly 60% of the state’s electorate—to remove outdated or incorrect entries.
• Removing Duplicate and Bogus Voters: It helps identify and eliminate fraudulent entries, like voters registered multiple times. Cleansing the voter list ensures “one person, one vote” and strengthens democratic credibility.
• Including Newly Eligible Voters: Many young people have turned 18 since the last update. The SIR ensures they are added to the rolls, improving overall voter participation. This revision covers a massive pool of 8 crore voters, including first-time voters.
• Updating Rolls After Population and Boundary Changes: Delimitation and migration can change voter distribution across constituencies. SIR helps align rolls with these changes and ensures voters are registered in the right constituency.
• Promoting Transparency and Participation: Draft rolls are published for the public. Citizens can file claims and objections, which helps build trust in the election process.
• Supporting Tech and Policy Advancements: The SIR creates space for technological improvements like digital electoral roll integration and the possibility of remote voting for migrants. Bihar pioneered mobile e-voting in municipal polls using blockchain, face recognition, biometrics, and voter ID authentication through the E-SECBHR app.
• Judicial Support: In the landmark Mohinder Singh Gill v. The Chief Election Commissioner case (1977), the Supreme Court upheld the ECI’s sweeping powers under Article 324. It clarified that ECI can act independently when laws under Articles 327 and 328 are silent and that judicial review during elections is limited under Article 329(b).

Key Challenges in Conducting a Special Intensive Revision

• Documentation Issues for Marginalised Groups: Migrants, homeless individuals, and tribal communities often struggle to provide proper documents, leading to the risk of losing their voting rights. Excluding widely used IDs like Aadhaar or ration cards causes further complications. Requirements such as birth certificates or legacy papers may inadvertently act as citizenship tests, disproportionately affecting disadvantaged groups.
• Risk of Illegal Immigrant Inclusion: Poor verification systems can lead to illegal immigrants being added to voter lists. The CAG’s 2021 audit reported that many Aadhaar records lacked proper demographic documentation, raising doubts about data integrity prior to 2016.
• Unintentional Exclusion of Eligible Voters: Huge manpower is required to conduct SIR successfully. With thousands of BLOs in the field, errors are likely—especially in remote or poorly connected regions. Mistakes during deletion or verification can leave out genuine voters. Past revisions saw several people filing petitions to restore their names. Weak data quality, mismatches, and infrastructure shortages further complicate the process.
• Political Influence: Political parties may try to manipulate SIR outcomes, leading to allegations of voter suppression or favoritism, especially in sensitive areas. Issues like gerrymandering may also arise.
• Limited Public Consultation: A major criticism of Bihar’s 2025 SIR was the lack of deep public engagement. Activists argued that the process felt rushed, limiting meaningful citizen involvement—even though political parties could appoint booth agents and file objections.
• Balancing Security and Democratic Rights: While preventing fraudulent enrolment is crucial for national security, it must not restrict genuine voters. The Supreme Court stresses the importance of inclusive mechanisms, creating a delicate balance for officials.

How to Improve the Effectiveness and Inclusiveness of SIR

• Simplify Documentation: Allowing commonly used documents like Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration cards can prevent the exclusion of migrants and low-income groups. The Supreme Court has also advised the ECI to consider such documents.
• Strengthen Verification Systems: Biometric authentication, facial recognition, and AI-based cross-checking can greatly improve the reliability of the verification process. Bihar’s blockchain-based e-voting experiment offers valuable lessons.
• Increase Awareness and Public Outreach: Clear communication about deadlines, document requirements, and procedures can help citizens participate fully. States like Kerala and Goa have shown how effective outreach campaigns can be. Internationally, Elections Canada runs targeted efforts to engage Indigenous communities.
• Improve Training for Field Officers: Proper training, better tools, and strong supervision for BLOs can reduce errors and ensure fair verification during door-to-door surveys.
• Engage Political Parties: Recognised parties and their Booth Level Agents (BLAs) should be involved to maintain neutrality. Public consultations with civil society help avoid political manipulation and increase public trust. For instance, Germany allows political parties and observers to review electoral rolls.
• Use Legal and Judicial Oversight: Ensuring compliance with Article 326 and the Representation of the People Act keeps the process within constitutional limits. Conducting SIR in phases—starting with areas that show the most migration or irregularities, as Bihar did in 2025—helps refine strategies before statewide rollout.

Process Followed

• Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) print pre-filled Enumeration Forms (EFs) for all existing voters as of the order date and hand them over to Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
• BLOs distribute these EFs to every registered elector through door-to-door visits.
• The EF is also available on the ECI website, allowing any elector listed on the roll as of the order date to download it for their state.
• Booth Level Agents (BLAs) from all recognised national and state political parties are involved throughout the entire process.
• BLOs help voters understand how to correctly fill out the EF.
• Senior officials—CEO, DEOs, EROs, and BLOs—ensure that genuine voters, especially the elderly, sick, Persons with Disabilities (PwD), the poor, and other vulnerable groups, are supported and not inconvenienced. Volunteers may be deployed where needed.
• BLOs collect the completed EFs and required documents from the public. Alternatively, existing voters can upload their EF and documents online.
• BLO Supervisors review both the quality and quantity of the BLOs’ work.
• A Draft Electoral Roll is prepared based on all EFs received.
• Copies of the Draft Electoral Roll are shared with recognised national and state political parties and published on the ECI/CEO website.
• Any elector or political party can file claims and objections for additions or deletions.
• The Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) investigates complaints about missing eligible voters or the inclusion of ineligible names.
• After resolving all claims and objections, the ERO publishes the Final Electoral Roll.
• The Final Electoral Roll is shared with recognised national and state political parties and uploaded to the ECI/CEO website.
• Under Section 24 of the Act, appeals against an ERO’s decision may be filed first with the District Magistrate and, in the second stage, with the Chief Electoral Officer.

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