The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced the rollout of the second phase of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in 12 States and Union Territories. The exercise, undertaken after 21 years, aims to ensure that all eligible voters are included on the rolls and that ineligible names are deleted.

Though new names are regularly added to the electoral rolls, the names of deceased people are not always removed. The SIR process involves issuing enumeration forms to all voters, which will help in excluding the names of the deceased and those who have permanently shifted away from a constituency from the electoral rolls.

Those added to the electoral rolls after 2002 must produce a document proving their Indian citizenship. However, the document establishing citizenship is not mandatory for those included in the 2002 list and their children. Although it has been stated that the relatives of those included in the 2002 list will receive relaxation, the ECI has not clearly defined the term “relative.”

What is SIR?
The SIR is a process to ensure that no eligible Indian citizen has been excluded from the electoral rolls. It also aims to delete the names of ineligible people from the voters' list.

Why SIR?
The exercise aims to exclude migrants, the names of the deceased, and people whose names appear on the voters' lists of multiple constituencies.

Who is a voter?
The ECI has defined an eligible voter as an Indian citizen aged 18 or more and an ordinary resident of the constituency where the person wishes to vote. Additionally, the individual should not be disqualified under any law.

Who carries out the SIR?
Each polling booth will have an average of 1,000 voters, with a maximum of 1,200. Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) will be assigned to the booths. Each Assembly constituency will have an Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) and Additional EROs.

EROs in the rank of Sub-Divisional Magistrate will prepare the draft electoral roll. They will also hear complaints and appeals, and release the final electoral roll.  

Responsibilities of EROs
EROs will be responsible for delivering enumeration forms to existing voters. Form 6 is for adding new voters, Form 7 for excluding voters, and Form 8 for making corrections or transferring votes. BLOs are expected to meet voters at least three times. Enumeration forms may also be issued online to those staying away temporarily. The BLOs are responsible for identifying deceased voters, those permanently shifted away from the constituency, and those having their names in more than one place.

EROs' responsibilities
EROs will prepare the draft electoral rolls based on the applications received. They will also issue notices to those who have to present documents to prove their eligibility. EROs will also publish the final electoral rolls.

Appeal process
If a person has any complaint regarding the final draft, they may appeal to the concerned District Collector. If the issue remains unresolved, the person can approach the State Election Commission.

Recognised documents

• Government employee ID card
• Pension payment order
• ID cards issued before 1987 by the government, local bodies, banks, post offices, or LIC
• Birth certificate, passport, or educational certificates issued by universities or boards
• Government-issued certificate of permanent residency
• Forest Rights Certificate
• Caste certificate
• National Register of Citizens (NRC) entry
• State Family Register
• Certificate showing receipt of government-granted land or house
• Aadhaar card

Kerala confused as SIR, LSG polls overlap
The second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls will put more than 2.78 crore voters in Kerala under pressure since the exercise will coincide with the upcoming elections to the Local Self-Government (LSG) bodies.

The exercise is also likely to create confusion among voters, as many are unaware that separate electoral rolls are used for LSG and Assembly elections. Kerala is due for Assembly elections in 2026.

While announcing the launch of the second phase of SIR on Monday, October 27, the Election Commission of India (ECI) said the revision exercise will be held in Kerala from November 4 to December 4.

Incidentally, the State Election Commission (SEC), the body responsible for conducting the LSG elections, published the final draft of the electoral rolls the other day. The SEC is also in the process of notifying the LSG poll schedule next week. The State Commission has indicated that it will not retract from its plan for the LSG polls.

The new LSG administrative bodies are to take charge before December 21. It remains unclear how political parties and their workers will actively participate in the SIR exercise, as they will simultaneously be engaged in candidate nominations and campaign planning for the LSG elections.

An additional issue, too, is worrying political parties. Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) will be visiting households as part of the SIR. With the SIR overlapping the LSG polls, political parties will find it challenging to assign Booth-Level Agents to watch the BLO inspections.

All political parties, except the BJP, oppose conducting the SIR alongside the LSG polls. The parties fear that Kerala will face an unprecedented situation where the administration and bureaucracy are entirely focused on election-related activities, as the Assembly polls will immediately follow the SIR exercise and the LSG polls.

Deployment of officials
The LSG polls require the deployment of 1.75 lakh officials. Since the SIR coincides with the LSG polls, Kerala will face a stiff challenge in finding adequate staff for both the electoral roll revision and polling duties.

The officials will have to be excluded from other duties, as they will have to undergo several days of training on polling and counting, in addition to conducting the LSG polls.

Currently, the government has deployed 1,296 officials from various departments as presiding officers and deputy presiding officers for the LSG polls. Hence, they cannot take up any other responsibility, including that of SIR. District Collectors, who serve as district election officers, are also responsible for conducting the LSG polls and are expected to lead the SIR exercise in their respective districts.

There is an additional challenge as well, the SIR exercise is expected to trigger a flood of applications for certificates and documents from the public, and the same officials will have to handle those requests.

One day, two commissions, two meeting
The ECI and SEC have convened meetings of officials on the same day to discuss the SIR and the LSG polls, respectively. The SEC’s meeting of District Collectors on the LSG polls began at 11 am on Tuesday, October 28. The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), the ECI’s representative in Kerala, has called for a meeting of District Collectors at 3.30 pm on the same day.

A joint meeting of representatives of political parties, convened by the SEC and CEO, has been scheduled for 11 am on Wednesday. All meetings will be held at the Mascot Hotel in Thiruvananthapuram. Political parties will have to assign different representatives for each meeting.

Smooth SIR in Kerala: CEO
The SIR exercise in Kerala will be smooth and devoid of confusion seen in Bihar during the first phase, Chief Electoral Officer Dr Rathan U Kelkar said.

The process will be simple and voter-friendly, he said. The basic document will be the electoral roll published after the SIR in 2002. The 2002 electoral roll has 2.24 crore voters.

The 2025 electoral roll has 2.78 crore voters. Officials will be posted as Electoral Registration Officers. Kelkar urged political leaders to assign more Booth-Level Agents.

Booth-Level Officers will visit each household with application forms. They will visit the household up to three times if a voter is not found during the first visit.

Kelkar added that children of voters included in the 2002 electoral roll, if added to the new list, need only furnish the enumeration form.