Pan-India SIR: Focus on matching rolls to last revision, EC tells CEOs

The move, aimed at reducing the number of voters who will be required to furnish proof of eligibility during the upcoming SIR, builds on Bihar’s example, where about 52% of existing electors were found on the 2003 rolls and another 25% were identified, albeit indirectly, as children or relatives of those voters.

While Bihar’s final roll is scheduled to be published on September 30, it is learnt that the EC is yet to take a call on the timing of the pan-India SIR.

As per the EC’s June 24 order for an SIR in the country, starting with Bihar, all registered electors in the state had to submit enumeration forms to remain on the rolls and all those added to the rolls after 2003, when the last intensive revision was done in Bihar, were required to submit documents proving their date and/or place of birth. Those born after July 1, 1987 were required to give documents of their parents too, aligning with the requirements under the Citizenship Act, 1965.

Although it was known that almost half of Bihar’s existing electors would return to the final roll by virtue of having been on the 2003 list, what emerged at Wednesday’s conference was the significant proportion of voters restored through the “parivarik suchi” — or family tree — used to establish their closest link to the 2003 roll. This was revealed by Bihar Chief Electoral Officer Vinod Singh Gunjiyal in his presentation at the conference.

In a statement issued late evening, the EC said: “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 Bihar CEO so that the CEOs of the rest of the country learn from their experiences.”

It is learnt that Deputy Election Commissioner Sanjay Kumar gave a presentation about the SIR, followed by an extensive presentation by the Bihar CEO about the exercise in the state. Then, CEOs of all states and UTs gave presentations on the number of electors, qualifying date of the last intensive revision in their respective states/UTs, and status of digitisation of the electoral rolls from the last intensive revision. “They also gave the status of mapping of current electors with the electors as per the last SIR in the State/UT,” the EC statement said.

The CEOs had also been asked to give suggestions on additional documents that could be submitted by electors, apart from the 11 listed by the EC in its June 24 order for Bihar. “The CEOs also suggested documents for the purpose of ensuring that no eligible citizen is left out of the electoral roll and no ineligible person is included in it. It was reiterated that these documents should promote ease of submission for the eligible citizens,” the EC said.

It is learnt that most CEOs replied “nil” when asked for these suggestions, while some suggested Aadhaar and the EC’s own Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC). In some cases, like Assam, state-specific IDs were suggested. The EC had chosen not to include Aadhaar, EPIC and ration card in its June 24 order and had stuck to the decision even after being asked by the Supreme Court to reconsider. However, the court this week ordered the EC to accept Aadhaar for the purpose of the Bihar SIR.

Damini Nath is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. She covers the housing and urban affairs and Election Commission beats. She has 11 years of experience as a reporter and sub-editor. Before joining The Indian Express in 2022, she was a reporter with The Hindu’s national bureau covering culture, social justice, housing and urban affairs and the Election Commission. ... Read More

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