The Election Commission of India (ECI) has initiated preparations for conducting a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Delhi, following a similar exercise in Bihar, as part of its constitutional obligation to ensure voter lists are accurate and inclusive. The exact dates for the SIR exercise in Delhi will be announced at a later stage.
The office of the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) stated that individuals whose names do not appear on the 2002 voter list will be required to submit proof of identity when completing their enumeration form.
"General public is hereby informed that the Commission has decided to begin the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the entire country for the discharge of its constitutional mandate to protect the integrity of the electoral rolls," the statement said, noting that the special revision drive is set to commence in the national capital as part of this broader initiative.
Last month, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, speaking at a press conference regarding the SIR timeline in West Bengal, announced that an appropriate date for conducting the exercise nationwide would be confirmed soon.
In a social media post, the Delhi CEO also made the 2002 voter list available online and provided a mapping of current Assembly constituencies to those from 2002, assisting voters in verifying whether their names, or those of their parents, appear on the earlier list.
"All officers concerned — district election officers, electoral registration officers, assistant electoral registration officers and booth-level officers (BLOs) — have been imparted training," an official statement from the CEO’s office confirmed.
Booth-level officers have been appointed in every Assembly constituency to carry out house-to-house (H2H) visits during the SIR process. Voters are being asked to check the 2002 voter list to confirm their inclusion, as well as that of their parents.
The statement clarified, "Those whose names appear on the voter lists of 2002 and 2025 shall have to submit only Enumeration Forms along with an extract of voter list of 2002". If a voter’s name is absent from the 2002 list but their parents are included, they must provide identity proof alongside the enumeration form and an extract of the 2002 list showing their parents’ names.
The CEO’s website already hosts the 2002 SIR voter list and includes a guide on how current constituencies align with those from 2002, simplifying the verification process.
Also Read: EC tells SC periodic SIR orders 'encroach on its authority'
ROW OVER SIR IN BIHAR
The SIR exercise in Bihar, the first since 2003, sparked significant political controversy. Opposition parties and critics argued that many legitimate voters were being removed from the electoral rolls without proper verification.
The Election Commission defended the initiative, asserting that its purpose was to ensure the inclusion of eligible voters while excluding those who are ineligible. In Bihar, the revision process reduced the number of registered voters from approximately 7.9 crore before the SIR to 7.24 crore afterwards, with 65 lakh invalid voters being removed, according to the poll body.
The special drive faced legal challenges from several opposition parties in the Supreme Court, which has also intervened in the matter.
During a recent hearing, the Supreme Court warned that it would cancel the entire SIR process in Bihar if any irregularities were found in the Election Commission’s methodology. The controversy has also centred on disputes over what constitutes valid identity proof, particularly regarding the use of Aadhaar.
The Election Commission had previously resisted certain uses of Aadhaar, but the Supreme Court ruled that Aadhaar must be accepted as a valid document for proving identity or residence in the Bihar SIR process. The Court has scheduled 7 October for final arguments on the issue.
Also Read: Voters may not need documents for SIR: EC
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