Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is a comprehensive and time-bound exercise undertaken to prepare, verify, and update electoral rolls to ensure their accuracy, inclusiveness, and integrity.
What it is
SIR involves house-to-house verification of electors, fresh enumeration where required, and correction of errors in the existing electoral rolls. It is more rigorous than routine or summary revisions.
Authority
The exercise is conducted by the under the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
Objectives
- Ensure no eligible voter is left out of the electoral roll
- Remove duplicate, shifted, or deceased electors
- Correct errors related to name, age, address, and photographs
- Improve electoral integrity and public confidence in elections
Key Features
- Door-to-door verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs)
- Fresh enrollment of eligible citizens not previously registered
- Deletion of ineligible entries after due process
- Use of supporting documents for verification, where prescribed
- Opportunity for public claims and objections
When SIR is Conducted
- Before major elections (especially when rolls are outdated)
- After delimitation exercises
- In cases of large population movement, urbanisation, or migration
- When directed by the Election Commission for roll purification
Difference from Summary Revision
- SIR: Comprehensive, field-based, verification-heavy exercise
- Summary Revision: Annual, form-based updating of existing rolls
Significance
- Strengthens the principle of universal adult suffrage
- Reduces risks of bogus voting and electoral fraud
- Enhances free and fair elections, a basic feature of the Constitution
Constitutional Link
Article 324 of the Constitution empowers the Election Commission to supervise and control the preparation and revision of electoral rolls.
This makes Special Intensive Revision (SIR) a critical administrative tool for maintaining a credible and inclusive electoral democracy in India.
