Special Intensive Revision (SIR) Phase 2 in Chhattisgarh: Ensuring Electoral Purity
The SIR of electoral rolls, which the Election Commission of India initiated, has reached the second leg, encompassing 12 States and UTs, of which Chhattisgarh is a part. This enormous national exercise seeks to come up with an accurate, error-free, and comprehensive voters’ list in a transparent manner, unlike the mere summary revisions done annually.
This is a very important phase, as it is the first intensive revision of this magnitude since the last one was carried out between 2002–2005. The process covers about 51 crore electors across all participating regions. In Chhattisgarh, the process covers the State’s over 2.12 crore registered voters.
Objective of SIR in Chhattisgarh
The main goal of SIR is to purify the existing electoral voters’ rolls in Chhattisgarh. This is accomplished through a comprehensive, two-pronged approach:
1. Removal of Ineligible Entries: Identifying and deleting names of voters who are either deceased, have permanently shifted residence, or have duplicate entries—often termed the ‘ASD’ list, Shifted, Dead.
2. Eligible Voters: Ensuring that all the eligible citizens who have the qualifying age of 18 or will attain it by the next qualifying date are enrolled with correct information.
The ECI has mobilized more than 27,000 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) across Chhattisgarh
Detailed Procedure and Timeline
The SIR Phase 2 follows a multi-step process, which is continuously monitored by District Election Officers and Electoral Registration Officers in Chhattisgarh.
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House-to-House Enumeration (Verification Phase)
•Duration: November 4 to December 4, 2025
• Procedure: Booth Level Officers conduct an intensive verification by physically visiting every household.
• Enumeration Forms (EFs): One EF is made available for every existing elector whose name is on the rolls as of October 27, 2025.
It is partially pre-filled with their particulars.
Voter Action: The voter has to return the said form to BLO after signing, affirming the particulars, or marking corrections. This is a statutory requirement for retaining the name in the roll.
Document Verification
Voters whose names were already on the rolls during the last intensive revision (around 2003) are generally not required to submit documents again. However, other voters, especially those added later, may be called upon to provide one of the thirteen prescribed documents by the ECI for verification.14 Crucially, the State’s Chief Electoral Officer mentioned that documents would generally not be required during the initial enumeration phase but later, during the claims and objections period, if their details are unlinked to the old roll.
2. Claims, Objections, and Finalisation
After the door-to-door collection, the process proceeds to the formal revision stages:
Publication of the draft electoral roll: December 9, 2025. The revised list will be made public for scrutiny.
Claims and Objections Period
December 9, 2025, to January 8, 2026. During this period, citizens can file:
Form-6: In case of a lack of their name inclusion.
Objections: To object to another person’s name inclusion (for example, in cases of death or permanent shift).
Correction (Form-8): To correct any errors in their existing entry.
Verification and disposal: 9th December 2025 to 31st January 2026. The EROs will conduct hearings and further verification and dispose of all claims and objections.
Final Electoral Roll Publication: February 7, 2026: The final, updated voters’ list will be officially published.
Challenges and Importance
Though clear in procedure, the SIR process in Chhattisgarh has also seen some problems and points of contention:
Political Opposition: Some political parties also pointed out that the period of one month coincides with the Kharif season, thus it would be hard for farmers and rural voters to participate to the fullest and submit their documents. An extension was sought in order not to leave any eligible voter out.
Documentary Proof for Tribals:
There were also worries about voters in far-flung areas, especially dominated by tribals, such as Bastar, who may not have the requisite standard documents (such as birth certificates or passports) but have documents with them, like Forest Rights Pattas. The ECI’s allowing multiple documents- including those issued by local authorities – tries to meet this to some extent.
Voter Disenfranchisement:
The accidental deletion of eligible voters’ names is a significant concern, especially those who have migrated or are less connected to the old 2003 rolls; hence, full cooperation and vigilance by all concerned in the revision exercise will be required.
Completion of SIR is of prime importance to Chhattisgarh, as the clean electoral roll that ensues out of this process will form the basis of future democratic exercises in the State, thereby strengthening the purity and credibility of the electoral process.
