Will EC consult political parties over pan-India SIR rollout? Bihar row prompts a rethink

In Bihar, the SIR is due to be completed with the publication of the final roll on September 30

As the Election Commission gears up for a nationwide special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, chief election officers (CEOs) of states as well as union territories may hold meetings with political parties ahead of the rollout, a move that was not seen before Bihar SIR that was initiated in June, according to a report by The Indian Express.

On June 24, the polly body had passed an order for a national SIR of electoral rolls, requiring all registered voters to fill fresh enumeration forms, while those enrolled since the last intensive revision must also provide eligibility documents.

The move was made keeping the Bihar polls in mind, to be held this year around November, with the EC stating the orders for the rest of the country would follow in due course.

In Bihar, the SIR is due to be completed with the publication of the final roll on September 30.

The EC is yet to finalise the timeline for the nationwide SIR, but indications are that state CEOs could engage political parties before it begins, The Indian Express report revealed. In Bihar’s case, though, the SIR announced on June 24 saw enumeration kick off the following day, bypassing party consultations.

Earlier this month, the poll body held a conference with CEOs in New Delhi. “The Commission assessed the preparedness of offices of the CEOs of all States/UTs for the nationwide SIR exercise. A presentation on the strategies, constraints and best practices adopted was made by the CEO Bihar so that the CEOs of the rest of the country learn from their experiences,” an EC statement had said that day.

The CEOs gave detailed presentations on the number of electors, qualifying date of last SIR and electoral roll in their respective state or UT as per the last completed SIR. The CEOs also presented the status of digitisation and uploading of the electoral roll after the previous SIR on the state/UT CEO website.

Several state CEOs have already put up the voter lists published after their last SIR on their websites, a PTI report revealed.

The website of the Delhi CEO has the voter list from 2008, when the last intensive revision took place in the national capital. In Uttarakhand, the last SIR took place in 2006 and the electoral roll from that year is now on the state CEO's website.

The last SIR in states will serve as the cut-off date, just as the 2003 voter list of Bihar is being used by the EC for intensive revision.

Most states had the last SIR between 2002 and 2004 and have nearly completed mapping of current electors with those as per the last intensive revision.

The poll body’s decision to conduct SIR, however, has been challenged through a batch of petitions in the Supreme Court. Many of the petitioners, also including Opposition MPs, have challenged the legality of the order.