Nationwide SIR likely to start this month

With the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls completed in Bihar, preparations are underway in full swing to launch the exercise throughout the country. Sources aware of the development confirmed that it will begin from this month (October) itself.

They further said the groundwork was at the last stages and all the chief electoral officers (CEOs) of states were finalising the loose ends before the all-India launch of the SIR.

Election Commission (EC) officials said no updates or reports had been sought from the CEOs on their preparations, but the work was going on at full swing.

On September 11, The Tribune had reported that the nationwide SIR of electoral rolls was likely to take place in October, with the poll panel having directed all state CEOs to complete the groundwork for the exercise by September 30.

According to sources privy to developments, the states would be informed about the schedule for the rollout in due course of time once the date is decided upon.

On September 10, during a day-long conference of all state CEOs, which was held here, the EC led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, had assessed the preparedness of the CEOs for the nation-wide exercise.

The state CEOs are also learnt to have prepared a list of documents that can be used for verifying voters during the revision, depending on their availability, the sources said.

During the conference, the CEOs also provided list of suggested documents to ensure no eligible citizen was left out of the electoral roll, while no ineligible person was included. It was reiterated that these documents should promote the ease of submission for the eligible citizens, the sources said.

A presentation on the strategies, constraints and best practices adopted was made by the Bihar CEO, so that the CEOs of the rest of the country could learn from the panel’s experience in the poll-bound state, the official sources said.