New Delhi, September 10:  The Election Commission of India (ECI) is gearing up for a nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll, likely to be conducted later this year. In a special meeting held on Wednesday, the ECI directed Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of all states and Union Territories to begin preparations for the massive voter list revision immediately.

According to officials, the meeting saw detailed presentations from CEOs on the current number of electors, the qualifying date of the last SIR, and the status of digitisation and uploading of electoral rolls on their respective websites.

The ECI also reviewed the mapping of existing electors with previous SIR data to ensure consistency and to meet the commission’s initiative that no polling station should have more than 1,200 electors.

The meeting further assessed the rationalisation of polling stations and discussed suggested documentation for inclusion in the electoral roll, emphasising ease of submission for citizens.

The ECI also reviewed the appointment and training status of DEOs, EROs, AEROs, BLOs, and BLAs to ensure smooth execution of the revision exercise.

Once preparations are finalised, the ECI will conduct an in-depth review before announcing official dates for the nationwide voter list revision.

Bihar’s Special Voter List Revision Sets Precedent

The decision follows a special voter roll revision recently carried out in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections. That exercise, however, sparked a political controversy, with opposition parties such as the Congress, RJD, and Trinamool Congress alleging that the drive could result in mass deletions of voters from marginalised communities.

The poll panel has defended the SIR exercise, calling it a crucial step to maintain accuracy, transparency, and integrity of the electoral rolls across the country.