Special Intensive Revision

Why is Special Intensive Revision (SIR) crucial for India's future growth?

SIR, which stands for Special Intensive Revision, is a special campaign under which the Election Commission thoroughly verifies, corrects, and updates the electoral rolls (voter list) of a state or a region. This includes door-to-door verification, matching names with all records, removing duplicate names, and adding new eligible voters.

This process is done under Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and Electoral Registration Rules, 1960.

After Bihar, SIR is now taking place in 12 states and Union Territories of the country. This includes Andaman & Nicobar, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Puducherry, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Lakshadweep.

Strengthening Democracy

SIR is essential for strengthening democracy. It keeps the system alive, alert, and accountable. "Democracy is not a finished product; it is a continuous journey of improvement." As Abraham Lincoln reminded us, democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people. For such a system to truly serve its people, it must be revived, renewed, and refined from time to time. It also gives citizens a voice, encouraging active participation and strengthening their trust in institutions.

Why is the Election Commission finally conducting SIR?

Key reasons—

(1) The last SIR was held in 2004. Over such a long period, many errors have accumulated in the electoral rolls.

(2) Over the past 20 years, a large number of names have been incorrectly added or have become duplicates. For example, this includes instances where a single person is registered in two different places, or where the names of dead people remain on the list.

(3) Errors are found in approximately 10 to 20% of the list.

To prepare the complete, accurate, and clean voters’ list for the 2025–2026 elections, the Election Commission of India is conducting SIR.

In doing so, the SIR of electoral rolls, while necessary to clean up two decades of accumulated error, faces several key challenges in execution. The SIR is the massive house-to-house enumeration exercise, heavily relying on Booth Level Officers (BLOs), often teachers or government workers. They face extreme workloads, lack adequate training, and face pressure from many political factions to stop SIR.

Tension spread in West Bengal’s Jalpaiguri district after the body of a woman Booth Level Officer was found in the courtyard of her house in a suspected case of death by suicide. The body of Shanti Moni Ekka was found on Wednesday morning by her family members. The family members alleged she had been mentally distressed for some time due to excessive workload.

The TMC claimed that a SIR assistance camp set up by the party was set on fire at Kalyani in West Bengal’s Nadia district.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi flagged the issue. Mr. Gandhi said SIR is a deliberate ploy under which citizens are being harassed, and deaths of BLOs due to unnecessary pressure are being ignored as collateral damage. “This is not a failure; it is a conspiracy.”

Meanwhile, Amit Shah (Union Home Minister) said, “SIR is a purification of voter list. We will deport every single infiltrator from this country. This is our resolve!!”

The SIR of voter rolls produced varying impact across Indian states. In Bihar, the 2025 SIR led to significant cleanup of the electoral list, with the final voter count dropping from approximately 7.89 crore to 7.42 crore, reflecting the removal of about 47 lakh entries. Door-to-door verification revealed that over 52 lakh voters could not be traced at the registered address, highlighting the issue of migration, death, duplicates, etc. In contrast, Kerala rejected the implementation of SIR. The revelation comes amid a steep rise in the interception of Bangladeshi nationals, including minors, at the Hakimpur check post near Swarupnagar between Monday and Tuesday. They were allegedly attempting to cross the border to return home following growing fears linked to the ongoing SIR that started on Nov 4, 15 days ago. In a disturbing turn of events, recent reports suggest that illegal Bangladeshi immigrants residing in West Bengal have been availing benefits from the Mamata Banerjee government’s flagship welfare scheme, Lakshmi Bhandar, triggering serious questions about the misuse of taxpayer money.

The conclusion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) by the Election Commission marks the successful administrative process of purifying the electoral roll. This effort provides the updated, factual basis for upcoming elections, ensuring the accuracy required for equal suffrage. Its significance is procedural and foundational, setting the stage for the democratic exercise.

"It's not the voting that's democracy, it's the counting."