EC gears up for nationwide electoral roll overhaul amid migration concerns

With urbanisation and frequent migration creating risks of duplicate entries, the Election Commission plans a Special Intensive Revision for updated, accurate voter lists.

New Delhi: Preparing for a nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the Election Commission (EC) will hold a meeting of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) from states and union territories next Wednesday to review the preparedness of the exercise and related matters.

Described by sources in the poll body as a routine meeting, it comes on the heels of a contentious SIR in Bihar. EC officials remained tight-lipped about the timeline for the nationwide exercise, though elections in five states are scheduled for April-May next year.

On June 24, the EC had announced its decision to conduct the SIR across the country, starting with Bihar, which is set to go to polls in October-November. The schedule for the rest of the country is expected to be announced later.

The EC justified the move by citing the fact that the last nationwide SIR was conducted in 2003. Due to rapid urbanisation and frequent migration, there are increasing chances of duplicate or incorrect entries in the electoral rolls.

Sources indicated that the CEOs will likely brief the EC on the number of voters, the last SIR held in their state, and other key details.

While the electoral rolls are revised annually through the Special Summary Revision (SSR) and before each election, the SIR is a more comprehensive exercise that prepares the voter list from scratch.

This time, the EC is expected to skip the SSR, as no media statement has been issued indicating otherwise, suggesting an imminent SIR announcement.

For context, last year on August 7, the EC had announced the SSR 2025 schedule, starting from August 20, 2024, and concluding on October 18, 2024. Draft rolls were published on October 29, with a deadline of December 24 for disposing of claims and objections. The final list was published on January 6 of this year.