New Delhi, May 11 -- The Election Commission of India is preparing to launch the third phase of its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the coming days, officials said on Monday. The exercise is expected to cover the remaining 22 states and Union Territories, accounting for nearly 40 crore electors.
The rollout had been deferred due to assembly elections held last month in Kerala, Assam, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. With the poll process now complete, officials indicated that preparations for the next phase are in place and implementation could begin shortly.
So far, the SIR exercise has been conducted across 10 states and three Union Territories, including Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Puducherry, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Goa and Bihar. A separate special revision was also undertaken in Assam.
The clean-up effort has already covered around 60 crore of India's nearly 99 crore registered voters. The upcoming phase will target the remaining nearly 40 crore electors across 17 states and five Union Territories, completing the nationwide revision.
On February 19, the poll authority had directed 22 states and Union Territories, including Delhi, to expedite preparatory work, noting that the exercise was expected to begin from April. Once phase three is completed, all states and Union Territories will have undergone the revision process.
In a communication to chief electoral officers of states and Union Territories such as Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Delhi, Odisha and others, the Commission reiterated that a pan-India SIR had been ordered in June last year. However, the exercise has seen multiple adjustments to its schedule due to various administrative and legal factors.
In Bihar, for instance, political parties approached the Supreme Court challenging aspects of the SIR conducted in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal. In West Bengal, Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee had also appealed before the Chief Justice of India, raising concerns over the roll revision in the state.
The process has also drawn political scrutiny. During preparations in Bihar, election officials claimed that grassroots functionaries had identified individuals from Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar in voter lists. However, no detailed figures or supporting evidence were later released by the Commission. Opposition parties described these claims as an attempt to target certain voter groups.
Data released by the Commission and state officials show that the SIR has led to a significant reduction in electoral rolls. Across nine states and three Union Territories, voter lists were reduced by 10.2 per cent following the exercise. Over 60 lakh deceased voters were removed, including 25.47 lakh from Uttar Pradesh and 24.16 lakh from West Bengal.
Additionally, 63.16 lakh names were deleted after objections and adjudication during the revision process. When phase II was announced on October 27, the total voter base across 12 states and Union Territories stood at more than 50.99 crore. After completion, the number declined to 45.81 crore, marking a reduction of over 5.18 crore electors.
With phase II now concluded and final electoral rolls published for 10 states and three Union Territories, the Commission is moving ahead to complete the nationwide revision through its upcoming phase.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.