ECI Eases SIR Process: Doorstep Verification, Online Hearings for Voters

The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Saturday a series of measures to ease the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls following a meeting of the full Commission in New Delhi. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi approved the changes unanimously, according to the poll panel.

Voters who received notices for being "unmapped" or having logical discrepancies will generally not have to appear before Electoral Registration Officers. Instead, Booth Level Officers will visit their homes to collect documents and upload them to the ECINET system for adjudication.

“Under the revised SIR procedure, voters who receive notices because they have been classified as 'unmapped' or found to have logical discrepancies will ordinarily not be required to appear before the Electoral Registration Officer.”

Hearings will now be held only in exceptional circumstances as determined by the ERO and will preferably be conducted online. If a hearing is required, an adult family member may be authorised to appear on the voter's behalf.

District Election Officers have been directed to establish help desks and organise special camps for vulnerable groups, including those in night shelters, labourers, and homeless persons. The Commission cited Goa, where 81 of 97 voters left off the rolls have already submitted Form 6 applications for inclusion.

The ECI also extended deadlines for filing claims and objections in Delhi and Maharashtra, giving electors more time to seek corrections. The announcement comes amid media reports of internal disagreements among Commissioners Sandhu and Joshi regarding SIR decisions, which the ECI characterised as part of normal institutional deliberations.