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The Election Commission of India (ECI) connected Wednesday (October 22, 2025) reviewed the advancement made successful mapping existent electors with those contiguous connected the electoral rolls prepared aft the erstwhile special intensive revision (SIR) carried retired successful astir States betwixt 2002 and 2004.
The mapping workout involves standardising addresses and correcting discrepancies done house-to-house visits by booth-level officers (BLO). It is being carried retired successful assorted States up of the roll-out of the SIR crossed India.
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“BLOs would already person this database (voters successful past SIR). This would guarantee that astir 60%-70% voters would already beryllium covered by the clip the SIR process begins”, a elder EC authoritative told The Hindu.
The Election Commission apical brass met the Chief Electoral Officers of each States during a two-day league successful the nationalist capital. The gathering was presided implicit by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar successful the beingness of Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.
The gathering is being held arsenic a follow-up to the SIR preparedness league held connected September 10, during which each States and Union Territories gave elaborate presentations connected the fig of electors, qualifying day of past SIR, and electoral rotation successful their respective States and Union Territories arsenic per the past completed SIR.
Also read: Election Commission of India activates tract machinery for imaginable pan-India elector list
While the committee had announced a countrywide SIR connected June 24, on with the Bihar SIR, a circumstantial roll-out is expected to beryllium announced pursuing the decision of the existent appraisal meeting.
Sources said the canvass assemblage mightiness opt for the SIR to beryllium held successful phases, opening with States wherever Assembly predetermination is owed adjacent year. Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal volition spell to the polls successful 2026.
The committee is besides improbable to spell up with the SIR successful States wherever section assemblage elections are taking spot oregon are owed arsenic the grassroots canvass machinery would beryllium busy.
In Bihar, the voters’ database was created “de-novo” aft the SIR. The SIR bid mandated that each voters had to taxable caller enumeration forms to beryllium included successful the draught roll. All those who had been added to the rolls aft 2003, erstwhile the past intensive revision was done successful Bihar, were asked to taxable documents proving their day and/or spot of commencement to found eligibility, portion those calved aft July 1, 1987, were required to taxable documents of their parents arsenic good successful bid to beryllium their citizenship.
In Bihar, much than 68 lakh names were deleted from the rolls aft the SIR, mostly owed to reasons specified arsenic death, duplication, and migration.
The SIR process has been challenged successful the Supreme Court. The court, portion not questioning the ECI’s mandate to behaviour the SIR, had asked the poll assemblage to see Aadhaar arsenic the 12th document.
ECI sources said the indicative database of documents required for the countrywide SIR is apt to stay the aforesaid arsenic successful Bihar, with Aadhaar being considered arsenic a impervious of individuality only.
