In a significant development, the #ElectionCommission of India has begun mobilizing its electoral machinery across all states and Union Territories in preparation for a possible countrywide rollout of a #SpecialIntensiveRevision (SIR) of electoral rolls, likely to take place next month.
This proposed large-scale initiative is modeled on the ongoing SIR being conducted in #Bihar and is aimed at updating voter rolls with a focus on verifying citizenship status and ensuring electoral integrity.
This proactive move by the poll panel follows a recent landmark observation by the #SupremeCourt of India, which upheld the constitutional legitimacy of the SIR process.
The apex court termed the revision a “constitutional mandate” and permitted the Election Commission to proceed with its ongoing exercise in Bihar, despite several legal challenges.
Numerous opposition parties and civil society groups had earlier approached the top court, arguing that such intensive revisions could disenfranchise a large number of eligible voters by arbitrarily questioning their citizenship or place of birth.
However, the Supreme Court’s ruling provided the Election Commission with the legal clearance it needed to potentially extend the revision nationwide.
Several #ChiefElectoralOfficers (CEOs) in states have already begun to upload voter rolls from the last known intensive revisions on their respective official websites, in line with instructions from the central election body.
For instance, the website of the CEO of #Delhi now hosts the electoral roll from the year 2008—the last time a special revision was carried out in the national capital.
Similarly, in #Uttarakhand, the most recent SIR was held in 2006, and the corresponding voters’ list has now been made publicly accessible.
These older voter rolls will serve as crucial reference points or cut-off benchmarks for the upcoming revision exercise. The #2003electoralroll of Bihar is currently being used as the base document for the ongoing revision in the state.
Notably, a majority of Indian states last carried out such intensive revisions between the years 2002 and 2004, indicating that much of the existing voter data is now over two decades old and in urgent need of an update.
An official source within the Election Commission has indicated that a final decision on the proposed pan-India revision will be taken after July 28, when the next hearing in the Bihar SIR case is scheduled in the Supreme Court. This hearing could have far-reaching implications for the nationwide exercise.
Importantly, the Commission has also announced that the eventual objective of this special revision is to weed out illegal foreign nationals from Indian voter rolls.
The focus will be on verifying each voter’s #PlaceOfBirth and citizenship credentials, a move seen as part of the government’s broader strategy to identify and remove #IllegalMigrants from the electoral system.
The issue gains further urgency in light of increasing crackdowns across multiple states on foreign nationals residing illegally in India, particularly from countries like #Bangladesh and #Myanmar.
While #Bihar is headed for state assembly elections later this year, five other states—#Assam, #Kerala, #Puducherry, #TamilNadu, and #WestBengal—are slated to go to the polls in 2026.
The outcomes of the proposed SIR could have a significant bearing on the voter landscape in these politically crucial regions.
As the Election Commission prepares for one of the most extensive electoral verification drives in recent history, all eyes will be on the Supreme Court’s July 28 verdict, which could determine the scope, legality, and execution strategy of the nationwide revision.
