NATIONAL: SIR-2 Rollout Begins: EC Ensures No Voter Left Out
The Election Commission of India kicks off the second round of its Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls today, targeting nine states and three union territories.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar shared details during a Monday press briefing, stressing that this drive will scrutinize records for over 51 crore voters by February 2026.
The focus remains on accuracy without sidelining any qualified citizen.
Rollout Across Key Regions
This phase spans Goa, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, and Tamil Nadu, alongside the union territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Puducherry, and Lakshadweep.
Elections loom in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and West Bengal next year, making timely updates crucial.
For Assam, facing polls in 2026, the EC plans distinct guidelines tied to the Citizenship Amendment Act, with fresh notifications to follow.
A Legacy of Revisions
India has refined its voter lists nine times since 1947, the most recent spanning 2002 to 2004.
Building on Bihar’s smooth first phase, which wrapped up appeal-free, the EC vows transparency here too.
Removed names will post publicly at local offices, and appeals stay open to safeguard inclusions.
Verification Tools and Safeguards
Aadhaar now joins the roster of proofs for identity checks, easing the process for many.
Voters can lean on Bihar’s post-revision lists as a baseline, skipping extra citizenship docs beyond birth certificates if parental details match.
Here’s a rundown of accepted documents:
- Government-issued ID cards or pension orders predating July 1, 1987, from banks, post offices, LIC, or public sector units.
- Birth certificates, passports, or educational certificates.
- Permanent residence certificates, Forest Rights Act proofs, or caste certificates.
If initial forms fall short, election officers will notify applicants for supplemental submissions.
Timeline for the Drive
The EC has mapped out clear steps to keep momentum:
- Enumeration form printing and booth-level training: October 29 to November 3.
- House-to-house verification: November 4 to December 4.
- Draft rolls release: December 9.
- Claims and objections window: December 9, 2025, to January 8, 2026.
- Review and disposal: December 9, 2025, to January 31, 2026.
- Final rolls publication: February 7, 2026.
State teams must supply staff for these verifications, a duty the EC underscores amid West Bengal tensions—yet insists it’s purely constitutional work.
Opposition Clashes and Defenses
Congress flags doubts over the EC’s impartiality, with spokesperson Pawan Khera pointing to Bihar’s unchecked addition of 65 lakh names as unresolved.
Trinamool Congress welcomes the effort but pledges to fight any undue deletions democratically.
BJP fires back, dubbing critics a “pack of sore losers” via Shehzad Poonawalla, who calls out their flip-flops on similar demands elsewhere.