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Special Intensive Revision
Process of reorganizing electoral voter rolls in India From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Special Intensive Revision or the SIR is an exercise undertaken by the Election Commission of India to ensure that all eligible Indian citizens are included in the Electoral Roll (ER) and that no ineligible voter is included in the electoral rolls.[1][2]
_of_India,_Shri_Gyanesh_Kumar_addressing_a_Press_Conference_by_Election_Commission_of_India_at_Vigyan_Bhawan,_in_New_Delhi_on_October_27,_2025_(1).jpg)
The SIR aims to ensure that electoral rolls across India are accurate, up-to-date and inclusive. The nationwide SIR process was announced on 27 October 2025 by the Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar from Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.[3][4][5]
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History
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Article 324 of Constitution of India and Section 21 (3) of Representation of the People Act, 1951, ECI has the power to revise the electoral rolls across the country in any state without prior permission from any authority.[6] Intensive revisions have been carried out 13 times; 1952–56, 1957, 1961, 1965, 1966, 1983–84, 1987–89, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2002, 2003 and 2004.[7]
Electoral roll revision In 2025
In 2025, the ECI planned a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry. The Commission cited concerns that several voters in West Bengal, Assam and Tripura were illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh who had obtained voter identity cards using dual documents. Political parties including the Indian National Congress, All India Trinamool Congress, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Samajwadi Party, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Rashtriya Janata Dal opposed the exercise, alleging that the ECI was favouring Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of upcoming Assembly elections in different states.[8][9] Following the demand from the opposition, the Modi government has agreed to hold a parliamentary debate on the disputed Special Intensive matter in winter session of the parliament.[10] Senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor even supported the SIR process nationwide, praising both ECI as well as the government for such move.[11]
On 4 November 2025, ECI formally launched Phase-II of SIR across 9 states and 3 union territories. The exercise covers about 51 crore electors across 321 districts and 1,843 Assembly constituencies.[12]
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Purpose of Special Intensive Revision
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Purpose of Special Intensive Revision is to revise the electoral list due to rapid urbanisation, high levels of migration, the addition of new eligible voters, unreported deaths, and to remove the names of foreign illegal immigrants.[2]
West Bengal
In West Bengal, the most of the controversies took up during the process of SIR immediately after its declaration.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of Electoral Rolls in West Bengal during 2025 had a highly significant and controversial impact on people, particularly the Hindu refugees and undocumented migrants from Bangladesh.[13]
The primary reason for the panic was the linkage required for the SIR exercise, which opponents claimed was a covert step towards implementing the National Register of Citizens (NRC).[14]
Several issues took place following the implementation of SIR over the state.
- Panic-Driven Flight: Media reports indicated that hundreds of, and in some accounts, thousands of undocumented Bangladeshi migrants who had settled in West Bengal fled their residences and returned to Bangladesh, especially in border areas like Hakimpur checkpost near Basirhat, North 24 Parganas.[15]
- Reason for Flight: These individuals, many of whom worked as ragpickers, masons, or domestic workers, were reportedly living in West Bengal for years and had acquired forged Indian documents (Aadhaar, Voter Cards, Ration Cards) through brokers and local political figures. The fear was that the door-to-door verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and the scrutiny of their voter details under the SIR process would lead to their detection and potential deportation, similar to the processes associated with the NRC.
- Anxiety among Hindu Refugees (Matua community): The SIR required voters to trace their name or a parent's/relative's name to the old 2002 electoral roll ("legacy linkage"). Many Hindu refugees who migrated from Bangladesh, including a large section of the Matua community, settled in West Bengal in or after 2002.[16][17]
- Suicides and Deaths: The political rhetoric and the fear of being erased from the voter list (linked by many to the NRC threat) allegedly led to multiple unnatural deaths and suicides among people who had migrated from Bangladesh. Families claimed the victims were extremely anxious that the SIR would strip them of their established Indian citizenship.[18]
- CAA Offer vs. Ground Reality: BJP leaders attempted to allay fears by assuring Hindu refugees that they had nothing to fear and could apply for citizenship under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). However, many in the community remained unconvinced, fearing the SIR's scrutiny would precede any benefit from the CAA.[19][20]
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SIR Joyathon
A district level campaign 'Joyathon' of the Election Commission of India conducted during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, intended to provide short work and fun breaks for Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and other staff engaged in intensive voter roll revision work.[21][22] Launched in late November 2025 in Thiruvananthapuram district and promoted by the Chief Electoral Officer, Kerala as a drive to inject energy and fun into the revision exercise.[23]
See also
References
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