Election Commission's 2-day conference of CEOs to discuss all-India rollout of SIR begins today

In a major step towards rolling out the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across the country, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is holding a two-day conference of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) from all states beginning from today in the national capital.

The conference, which will culminate on October 23, will see discussions on issues related to SIR of electoral rolls.

It is taking place at ECI’s India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) in Dwarka, New Delhi.

The conference comes at a time when campaigning for Bihar Assembly elections is on its peak.

The SIR of electoral rolls in Bihar during the run-up to the assembly polls in the state had generated a lot of controversy, with opposition parties alleging that the poll panel was acting at the behest of the BJP-led Central government and had undertaken the exercise for deleting names of migrant, poor and minority voters, further alleging that it was indulging in vote theft.

The ECI on its part denied the allegations and called the exercise as a constitutionally mandated one, meant for purifying the electoral rolls.

More than 68 lakh names had been deleted from Bihar's electoral rolls during the SIR.