Both the houses of Parliament are witnessing brief phases of functioning as the opposition members regularly troop into the well moments after the session reconvenes, forcing immediate adjournments.
The members of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha sought to raise several issues relating to Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise for updating of electoral rolls in Bihar. In the Lok Sabha, Congress MP Manickam Tagore moved a notice on the SIR, but the House adjourned within minutes. Several leaders in the Opposition had already expressed their disapproval on the SIR right after it was announced.
Understanding SIR: Issue at the heart of Opposition protest
The Election Commission had ordered the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) on June 24 and launched it the next day. The commission said in the order that it has decided to conduct the exercise for the whole country and was starting with Bihar as Assembly elections are due in the state. The EC order said that all 7.8 crore registered electors of Bihar would be required to submit enumeration forms by July 25 to make it to the draft roll to be published on August 1.
The poll body has said that it received enumeration forms of 90.12% of Bihar’s electors ahead of the July 25 deadline for its special intensive revision (SIR) of the state’s electoral roll, and that over 36 lakh were found “not at their addresses”.
What is electoral roll revision?
The electoral roll, also known as the voters' list, is a comprehensive list that includes the names of all eligible voters in a specific jurisdiction. It lists the names of voters irrespective of gender, caste or class.
“The electoral roll is prepared in accordance with the well-defined protocol & procedure and following the principle of natural justice by providing reasonable opportunity to the electors and all stakeholders, political parties in particular,” stated EC.
Under Section 21(3) of The Representation of the People Act, 1950, the EC “may at any time… direct a special revision of the electoral roll for any constituency or part of a constituency in such manner as it may think fit”.
The revision is conducted with reference to January 1 of the year as qualifying date, in which the roll is finally published. During the non-election year, no regular revision activities would be there for the subsequent qualifying dates of the year.
How is Bihar’s SIR different from electoral roll revision?
Special summary revision is an annual event. The electoral roll is updated before each Lok Sabha and state Assembly election. However, according to the EC, intensive revisions have been carried out in 1952-56, 1957, 1961, 1965, 1966, 1983-84, 1987-89, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2002, 2003 and 2004.
During previous special intensive revisions, Block Level Officers would go house to house with an “enumeration pad” to be filled by the head of a household.
This time around, each existing elector will have to submit an individual enumeration form. Those added to the roll after January 1, 2003, the year of the last intensive revision in Bihar, will additionally have to provide proof of citizenship.
During the usual revision of the electoral roll, one can add, delete or edit names but with the EC intervention and following some procedures.
Why is Bihar a special case
According to EC, Bihar’s draft electoral rolls, as of January 1, 2025, stand at close to 7.96 crore electors. The EC said 4.96 crore individuals, who were on the 2003 electoral roll, will not need to submit fresh documents, and for their children, only an extract of the 2003 roll can serve as proof for their parents. However, the figure for 2003 is not static. A significant number may have either died or migrated.
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