Explainer: About SIR, tweaked after Bihar row

THE second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to be conducted from November 4 till February 7, 2026, in nine states and three Union Territories will see subtle changes in the procedure — a direct consequence of the controversy-ridden first phase conducted in poll-bound Bihar.

According to the Election Commission of India (ECI), feedback from booth-level officers (BLOs) after the SIR in Bihar played a pivotal role in “softening of the tone” of the exercise.

It will be undertaken in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and Goa as well as the UTs of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Puducherry and Lakshadweep.

The key changes

First and foremost, according to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, no documents will be asked for during the enumeration stage, unlike in Bihar, where documents were sought from voters while filling and submitting the enumeration forms to the BLOs.

Also, no notice will be served on voters for having more than one EPIC (election photo ID card). However, if such cases are detected, after completion of the SIR, necessary action as per law will be taken against such voters.

The enumeration forms, too, have been modified, with two additional columns to allow voters to track their details during the revision of rolls in the previous SIR. This, the ECI says, will help in inclusion of as many voters as possible in the enumeration data.

Use of Aadhaar card

The inclusion of the Aadhaar card as one of the 12 supporting documents, though optional, indicates that the document, which is a proof of identity, remains a valid tool for establishing one’s eligibility as a voter. Aadhaar was not part of the list of documents required for the Bihar SIR and was included as the 12th document only after the Supreme Court’s intervention.

Another significant shift is that voters who have just turned 18 can submit Form 6 (required for becoming eligible as a fresh voter) at the time of filling the enumeration form, unlike in Bihar, where this form was collected during the claims and objection filing period.

In the upcoming SIR, voters can connect their names to electoral rolls of any state’s last SIR apart from the state of their current residence, and even the BLOs will get access to the SIR of all the states. In Bihar, the BLOs had access only to their state’s electoral rolls.

Focus on transparency

Unlike in Bihar, where the SIR was announced at short notice, inviting criticism from the electorate and political parties alike, the forthcoming SIR will be undertaken after the procedures are explained to all stakeholders.

The ECI has directed all Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), District Electoral Officers (DEOs) and Election Registration Officers (EROs) to meet representatives of recognised political parties and explain the SIR process in detail.

Training will also have to be imparted to all Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by the political parties, the ECI has directed.

At loggerheads again

Just hours after the poll body announced the schedule of the pan-India exercise on October 27, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin said his government will resist disenfranchisement and defeat vote theft. He added that after discussion with the alliance partners (Congress and Left), it was decided to convene an all-party meeting on November 2 to decide the next course of action.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “We’ve seen what they’ve done in Bihar and how they have implemented the SIR over there and if that’s what they’re going to do in every state, it is an affront to democracy and we have to fight it.”

In West Bengal, the Trinamool Congress and the BJP have locked horns over the issue. The state goes to polls next year.