The Election Commission of India has instructed its State election officers to prepare for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) by September 30. This directive signals that the electoral authority could launch this significant voter list cleanup exercise as early as October or November.
During a recent conference in New Delhi earlier this month, the Election Commission’s senior leadership conveyed to Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) across the states that they should be ready for the SIR rollout within the next 10 to 15 days. The September 30 deadline was established to provide clear guidance and ensure prompt action.
As part of this preparation, CEOs have been tasked with ensuring that the voter lists of their respective states, which were published after the previous SIR, are readily available.
Many state CEOs have already made these historical voter lists accessible on their official websites. For instance, Delhi’s CEO website features the voter list from 2008, marking the last intensive revision conducted in the Capital.
Similarly, in Uttarakhand, the electoral roll from 2006, when its last SIR took place, is now available on the state CEO’s website.
These past SIR lists will serve as a crucial reference point, just as Bihar’s 2003 voter list is currently being utilized by the Election Commission for its intensive revision efforts there.
Most states underwent their last Special Intensive Revision between 2002 and 2004. These states have largely completed the process of mapping their current electors against those from the last intensive revision.
The Election Commission has affirmed that following the ongoing efforts in Bihar, the SIR will be extended across the entire country. This comprehensive revision comes ahead of significant Assembly elections scheduled for 2026 in states like Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal.
A key objective of this intensive revision is to identify and remove foreign illegal migrants from the electoral rolls, primarily by verifying their place of birth. This initiative holds particular importance amidst ongoing crackdowns on illegal foreign migrants, including those from Bangladesh and Myanmar, in various states.