Special Intensive Revision for 1 December 2025

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is a strategic exercise by the Election Commission of India (ECI) aimed at thoroughly updating, verifying and correcting the voter lists across India. While routine roll updates happen annually, SIR is a far more comprehensive, time-bound house-to-house verification drive, often preceding major elections. Its goal is to ensure that the electoral roll is accurate, inclusive and free from errors such as duplicates, deceased voters, or ineligible entries.

Special Intensive Revision (SIR)

SIR refers to a large-scale, intensive revision of electoral rolls by the Election Commission of India under its constitutional and statutory powers. Usually triggered in anticipation of high-stakes elections or when the rolls have remained largely unchanged for years, the SIR involves steps such as fresh enumeration forms, house-to-house verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs), document verification of voters, deletion of ineligible entries, and inclusion of those omitted. The SIR 2025 in Bihar, where more than 8 crore voters were to be re-verified, is the latest example. Key facts:

• The legal basis lies in Article 324 of the Constitution (superintendence, direction and control of elections) and Section 21(3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which allows the Commission to carry out “special revision of the electoral roll.”
• The objective is to include every eligible citizen (18+ years) and to remove duplicates, deceased persons, ineligible entries and correct errors like wrong names or addresses.
• It is not simply a summary revision but combines features of a full enumeration (intensive revision) and summary updates, hence the nomenclature “Special Intensive”.

Special Intensive Revision Significance

The SIR exercise offers multiple benefits for democracy and electoral integrity:

• Reduces ghost voters and multiple registrations: By removing duplicate entries, the fairness of elections improves.
• Reflects demographic changes: Large-scale migration, new elector entrants, and urbanization distort old rolls; SIR addresses this.
• Improves inclusion of marginalised groups: Young voters, internal migrants, disabled voters get properly registered.
• Strengthens transparency and trust: When voters feel the list is updated and inclusive, public confidence in the system increases.
• Facilitates efficient polling logistics: Clean rolls help better planning: fewer spoiled ballots, accurate polling station allocation (as seen in Jaipur creation of new booths).

Special Intensive Revision Objectives

The major objectives of conducting a Special Intensive Revision are:

• Accuracy: To update and correct the electoral roll so that duplicate names, deceased voters, and ineligible persons are removed.
• Inclusion: To ensure that all eligible citizens, including first-time voters, migrants, and those omitted earlier, are included in the voter list.
• Legitimacy: To strengthen public trust in elections by cleansing rolls and thereby reinforcing the “one person, one vote” principle.
• Demographic adjustment: With increasing migration (rural→urban), changing residencies, newly eligible voters (18+), SIR helps the roll reflect ground realities.
• Pre-election readiness: Especially before major Assembly or Lok Sabha elections, a clean roll reduces litigations and helps smooth polling operations.

Special Intensive Revision Legal Framework

The legal and constitutional basis for SIR is critical for understanding its authority and challenges:

• Article 324 (1): Grants the ECI superintendence, direction and control of elections to Parliament and State Legislatures.
• Article 326: Guarantees adult suffrage to all citizens aged 18+ for elections to Lok Sabha and State Assemblies.
• Representation of the People Act, 1950, Section 16 and 19: Sets out criteria for voter eligibility (citizen, 18+, ordinary resident). Section 21(3) empowers the ECI to order special roll revision.
• Registration of Electors Rules, 1960: Specifies procedures for enrolment, revision, etc. Some legal commentators note that the term “Special Intensive Revision” itself is not explicitly present in the Rulebook, raising questions of nomenclature and procedural clarity.

Special Intensive Revision Process

The SIR process involves several distinct phases and features which differentiate it from routine roll updates:

1. Notification & Planning: The ECI issues notification specifying qualifying date (e.g., July 1, 2025 in Bihar).
2. House-to-House Enumeration: BLOs visit every house in assigned polling booth area and distribute pre-filled “Enumeration Forms” to existing electors and new eligible persons.
3. Submission of Documents: For voters enrolled after a certain past date (e.g., Jan 2003 in Bihar SIR) proof of date/place of birth and parentage is required. This is stricter than earlier frameworks.
4. Verification & Deletions/ Additions: EROs scrutinise the submissions, identify deaths, duplicates, migration, ineligible voters and remove them; simultaneously new inclusions are processed. For example in Jaipur, 741 new polling booths were to be created under SIR to accommodate changes.
5. Draft Publication & Objections: A draft roll is published, objections entertained, grievance redressal mechanism applied. The Supreme Court directed ECI to publish details of deleted names in the Bihar SIR litigation.
6. Final Roll & Freeze: The final roll is constituted and frozen for ensuing election. Additions/deletions after that are restricted to special cases.

Special Intensive Revision Features

The key features of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has been listed below:

• Focus on every household rather than selective updates.
• Time-bound completion preceding major elections.
• Special emphasis on migrants, youth, and excluded electorates.
• Integration of digital tools, SMS alerts, online enumeration portals.
• Stronger document verification for entries added post last intensive revision.

Bihar SIR 2025

The SIR exercise launched in Bihar in mid-2025 offers concrete insights and lessons. This case underlines both the scale and complexity of SIR. It also highlights the balancing act between thoroughness of revision and inclusivity of electoral participation.

• The ECI notified SIR with the qualifying date 1 July 2025, marking all citizens turning 18 by 1 October 2025 as eligible for inclusion.
• More than 8 crore voters were subject to enumeration; BLOs and 4 lakh volunteers were mobilised.
• The process required voters registered after Jan 2003 to provide proof of their name, birth date and parent’s details. This was stricter than past editions of intensive revision.
• The Supreme Court directed the ECI to publish details of deletions and make it widely known via websites and media.
• Civil society organisations like Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) flagged deviations from 2003 norms and alleged risk of large-scale exclusion.
• As part of booth rationalisation, districts such as Jaipur created hundreds of new polling stations under SIR to avoid over-crowding.

Special Intensive Revision Challenges

While SIR is conceptually sound, its implementation has raised serious concerns:

• Risk of disenfranchisement: The demand for additional documents (especially for post-2003 entries) may exclude legitimate voters lacking birth or parentage proof. Critics argue that this risks excluding the poor, migrants and marginalised groups.
• Timing before elections: Conducting a full-scale revision just before a major election may create confusion, logistic issues, and allegations of bias. For example, state parties asked for clarity that SIR is not a citizenship verification exercise.
• Terminology & procedural clarity: The term “Special Intensive Revision” is not explicitly mentioned in existing rules, leading to questions about legal basis and consistency.
• Resource and staffing constraints: House-to-house enumeration at scale demands huge human and technological resources, field officials have flagged shortages.
• Digital divide and accessibility: Rural, remote, migrant or low-literate citizens may be disadvantaged in online enumeration or document submission.
• Political objections and litigations: Some opposition parties allege SIR may be used to manipulate voter lists for favourable outcomes. For example, the Supreme Court is hearing a PIL (Association for Democratic Reforms vs ECI) challenging the 2025 Bihar SIR.

Way Forward:

Given the importance and complexity of SIR, a set of reforms can help strengthen its outcomes:

• Define clear legal guidelines: While Section 21(3) of RP Act provides power, transparent guidelines on document requirements, timeline and inclusion criteria can reduce disputes and litigations.
• Ensure minimal documentation barrier: Maintain presumption of validity for earlier registered voters; avoid blanket demands of new proof unless probable cause exists.
• Use technology to streamline the process: Mobile apps for enumeration, GIS mapping of premises, online grievance portals for exclusion/delayed enrolment can enhance efficiency and reduce errors.
• Inclusion focus: Special camps for migrants, disabled, first-time voters; mass awareness campaigns in multiple languages; mobile verification vehicles in remote areas.
• Stakeholder consultation: Political parties, civil society organisations, tribal and migrant groups must be consulted to detect potential exclusion and build confidence in the exercise.
• Real-time monitoring & public disclosure: Publishing lists of deleted/included names, reasons for deletion, leveraging transparency to reduce fear of disenfranchisement.
• Post-roll audit & feedback mechanism: Conduct sample audits after the roll is finalised to verify inclusion of marginalised groups, and correct omissions before polling.
• Synchronise with delimitation and polling station rationalisation: Changes in constituency boundaries, migration flows, and new polling station creation (as seen in Jaipur) must be integrated into SIR design.

SIR Election Commission

The Election Commission of India (ECI) plays a central role in planning and executing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). It issues formal notifications specifying the schedule, qualifying date, and procedures for enumeration. The ECI also supervises the house-to-house verification, document scrutiny, and final roll publication. Through its constitutional authority under Article 324, the Commission ensures that every eligible citizen is included and every error or duplicate is eliminated from the voter roll.

Chief Electoral Officer

The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of each state or union territory is responsible for implementing SIR on the ground. Acting under the guidance of the Election Commission, the CEO coordinates with District Election Officers, Electoral Registration Officers, and Booth Level Officers. The CEO ensures timely data collection, field verification, training of staff, public awareness drives, and transparent grievance redressal during the revision. Their reports form the basis for ECI’s final electoral roll approval.

Special Intensive Revision UPSC

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched the next phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across 12 states and Union Territories, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, and Puducherry, ahead of upcoming Assembly elections. The process begins on November 4, 2025, covering over 51 crore voters, with the final roll to be released on February 7, 2026. Voters must prove eligibility using one of 13 documents, including the Aadhaar card, a provision introduced after procedural reforms during the Bihar SIR. States like Tamil Nadu and Kerala have sought clarifications, citing concerns over large-scale voter verification. Meanwhile, Assam has been excluded due to the ongoing NRC exercise, making this one of India’s largest voter verification drives since 2002.