NEW DELHI: In a key procedural shift, the Election Commission (EC) has announced that no documents will be required from electors during the enumeration stage of the upcoming pan-India Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. This marks a departure from the Bihar SIR, where electors were required to submit supporting documents at the time of enumeration.
Under the new guidelines, if an elector cannot be linked to the previous SIR, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) will issue a notice seeking to verify eligibility as per Article 326 of the Constitution. The elector will then need to furnish any one of 11 indicative documents (the same set used in Bihar) to establish citizenship under the Citizenship Act.
The Aadhaar card will continue to be accepted only as proof of identity, in line with EC’s September 9 directive, and EROs may also accept alternative valid documents provided by the elector.
The enumeration form has been redesigned to include fields that link an elector’s entry—or that of a parent or relative—to records from the last SIR (2002–04), capturing details such as name, EPIC number (if available), relationship, district, state, and assembly constituency.
During the enumeration drive, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will note probable reasons for non-returned forms, such as absence, shifting, death, or duplication, after inquiries with nearby residents. Booth-wise lists of excluded electors, along with reasons for non-inclusion, will be displayed at panchayat/local body/BDO offices and uploaded on the Chief Electoral Officer’s website.
BLOs will carry at least 30 blank Form 6s and declaration forms for new enrolments during their house-to-house visits. EROs will also invite advance applications for subsequent qualifying dates—April 1, July 1, and October 1, 2026—when issuing notices for draft publication.
The pan-India SIR will run for 103 days, five days longer than the Bihar exercise. Preparatory work, including printing of forms, will take place from October 28 to November 3, followed by enumeration from November 4 to December 4.
Polling stations will be rationalised to a maximum of 1,200 voters each by December 4. The draft roll will be published on December 9, with claims and objections accepted till January 8 and settled by January 31, 2026. The final electoral roll is scheduled for publication on February 7, 2026.
Unlike the Bihar SIR, the notice phase, form verification, and claims and objections will be handled concurrently by EROs between December 9, 2025, and January 31, 2026, streamlining the overall process.
