Election Commission to announce schedule for nationwide Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls soon

SIR likely to be held in more than one phase; Five poll-bound States and Union Territories — Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and West Bengal — may go in for the exercise during the first phase

New Delhi: The Election Commission is all set to announce the schedule for a nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls soon, an exercise being held after two decades and following the recent one in Bihar.

The SIR is likely to be held in more than one phase, with the five poll-bound States and Union Territories — Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and West Bengal — likely to go in for the exercise during the first phase, along with some other States.

The Chief Election Commissioner and the Election Commissioners interacted one-to-one with the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of poll-bound Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and West Bengal.

Indications are that the SIR may take place in poll-bound States as early as November. Sources said the Election Commission told the CEOs that the schedule would be decided in a meeting of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.

States like Kerala and Karnataka had earlier demanded that the SIR exercise be held only after the conclusion of the local body elections. However, sources said, the Election Commission did not directly respond to the demands but told the CEOs that a decision would be communicated to them when the poll body takes a decision.

The Election Commission held a two-day review meeting with Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) here, which concluded on Thursday, during which the preparedness for conducting SIR was reviewed.

It was held as a follow-up to the meeting held on September 10, during which States and UTs gave presentations on the number of voters, the qualifying date of the last SIR and electoral rolls as per the last completed SIR.

On Wednesday, the Election Commission assessed the progress made by States on mapping the current electors with the voters as per the last SIR in different States.

The CEC on Thursday directed the CEOs to finalise their preparations for the SIR in their respective States and UTs. At the meeting, queries raised by CEOs were answered by the Election Commission.

The Election Commission has reviewed the mapping of voters, an exercise that will help State poll bodies find out the electors who were in the electoral roll after the last intensive revision and continue to be in the latest voter list.