New Delhi: The Election Commission (EC) is soon expected to decide the date for a nationwide rollout of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, potentially taking place before the year ends. The announcement follows a day-long meeting of state Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), where preparations for this exercise were discussed in light of five assembly elections scheduled for next year.

Senior EC officials presented the SIR policy during the meeting, while the CEO of Bihar shared the state’s experience of implementing SIR. CEOs were instructed to keep the electoral rolls prepared after the last SIR, ready for reference. Some states have already published these rolls on their official websites.

Following Bihar’s example, the EC plans to expand the SIR exercise nationwide. Assembly polls in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal are slated for 2026.

The core goal of SIR is to remove the names of foreign illegal migrants by verifying the place of birth. This comes amid intensified crackdowns on illegal immigrants from countries including Bangladesh and Myanmar.

To uphold the integrity of voter lists, house-to-house verification will be conducted to ensure accuracy. To prevent enrollment of illegal migrants, a new 'declaration form' has been introduced for candidates who want to register or shift their address from outside the state. They must declare they were born in India before July 1, 1987, provide supporting documents for their and their parents’ birth details, and acknowledge other categorisation criteria.

The SIR exercise in Bihar has faced criticism from opposition parties for potentially disenfranchising millions over documentation issues. The Supreme Court has intervened, directing the EC to ensure eligible voters are not excluded.

The last SIR in various states—ranging from 2002 to 2004—will serve as cut-off dates for roll revisions. For example, Bihar is using its 2003 roll as the baseline for the ongoing revision. Websites for Delhi and Uttarakhand continue to host voter lists from their previous SIR years, 2008 and 2006, respectively.

With inputs from PTI