As per the Press Note of the ECI, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is being carried out in several phases across the country, with the objective of ensuring that the electoral rolls are accurate, up-to-date, and free of ineligible or duplicate entries, while ensuring that no eligible elector is left out.

Phase I: The SIR was first undertaken in the State of Bihar, ahead of the Elections to the State Legislative Assembly in the year 2025. The exercise involved house-to-house enumeration by Booth Level Officers (BLOs), distribution and collection of enumeration forms, publication of a draft electoral roll and providing a specific period for filing claims and objections, and subsequent publication of the final electoral roll after due verification.

Phase II: The similar process was followed during Phase-II for nine States and three Union territories, namely, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep and Puducherry from October, 2025 to April, 2026.

Phase III: The SIR is presently underway or proposed in the remaining States/UTs not covered in Phase I and II, including the National Capital Territory of Delhi, in accordance with a schedule notified by the ECI, which is subject to revision from time to time based on operational requirements.

Throughout the exercise, consolidated data on enumeration, additions, deletions, and corrections is compiled and published by the ECI on its official website and by the respective Chief Electoral Officers of the States/UTs concerned, as the revision progresses.

As per the Press note of the ECI, the deletions during SIR are carried out only after due verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) through house-to-house enumeration, and broadly fall under the following categories: (i) death of the elector; (ii) permanent shifting of residence; (iii) duplicate entries of the same elector in more than one place; and (iv) electors found untraceable despite repeated visits.

The following safeguards have been put in place by ECI to prevent wrongful deletion of eligible electors:

(i) Prior intimation and door-to-door visits by BLOs, with a minimum of two-three attempts before an elector is treated as untraceable;

(ii) Deletion only after recording reasons in the prescribed enumeration format and following the process under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960;

(iii) Publication of draft electoral rolls and a statutory period for filing claims and objections (Forms 6, 7 and 8) before the roll is finalised;

(iv) Provision for appeal before the District Magistrate/designated appellate authority and further recourse to the Chief Electoral Officer;

(v) Deployment of Booth Level Agents (BLAs) nominated by political parties to verify entries and flag discrepancies during the enumeration and claims/objections stages.

The Hon'ble Supreme Court, in its judgment dated 27.05.2026 in W.P. (C) 640 of 2025 titled Association for Democratic Reforms & Ors. vs. Election Commission of India & Ors., examined the legality of the SIR process and held, inter alia, that the SIR exercise is within the statutory mandate of ECI under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and is consonance with the Election Commission's constitutional obligation under Article 324 to ensure free and fair elections.

Further, it is evident from the Press Note of the ECI, that it carries out internal quality checks at each stage of SIR, including cross-verification of BLO enumeration through supervisory officers, random sample audits of deleted entries, and public disclosure of draft and final rolls to enable scrutiny by political parties and electors. Grievances received during the claims and objections period are examined and, where found valid, names are restored before finalisation of the roll.

This information was given by the Union Minister of Law and Justice, Shri Arjun Ram Meghwal Ji, in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

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