On Wednesday, September 10, 2025, the Election Commission of India (ECI) will convene a crucial meeting in New Delhi with Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) from all states and Union Territories. Presided over by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, alongside other senior Election Commissioners, the meeting’s primary focus will be the nationwide rollout of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process of electoral rolls (The Siasat Daily).
The SIR is designed to scrub electoral rolls by identifying and removing duplicate and deceased voters, while also ensuring the timely addition of newly eligible voters. According to the ECI, this initiative is expected to enhance transparency, improve the accuracy of voter databases, and reinforce the integrity of the electoral process (The Siasat Daily).
Why This Matters Now
- Controversy in Bihar: The decision to scale up the SIR follows its contentious execution in Bihar—in which opposition parties (e.g., RJD, Congress, CPI, CPM, TMC, SP) accused the ECI of bias, alleging that deletions disproportionately affected marginalized communities. This has stirred significant political tension in the poll-bound state (The Siasat Daily).
- Elections Ahead: States such as West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Union Territory Puducherry are slated for major elections next year. The ECI aims to standardize the voter revision process across regions to mitigate inconsistencies and preempt allegations of partiality (The Siasat Daily).
- Adapting Feedback: Internal sources suggest the meeting will also incorporate feedback from Bihar’s SIR exercise to refine the process—adjusting operational protocols to ensure fairness, transparency, and uniformity across all states (The Siasat Daily).
