Election Commission extends SIR by 7 days; draft electoral list to be out on Dec 16

The Election Commission has extended the deadline for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) going on in 12 states and Union Territories by a week till February 14 to give voters additional time to ensure their names are correctly included in the electoral rolls ahead of upcoming elections. The booth-level officers (BLOs) and the booth-level agents will also get additional time. In a three-page order issued on Sunday, the Election Commission said it has allowed one more week for poll officials to publish the draft list of voters. The enumeration period will now end on December 11, a week later than the earlier scheduled date of December 4, while the final list will be published on February 14.

This electoral roll revision aims to enhance the accuracy and inclusiveness ahead of upcoming elections.

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Leaders of the Trinamool Congress and other opposition parties had met Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in Delhi this week and urged the commission to reschedule the SIR exercise. The SIR issue is likely to lead to a showdown in the parliament during the winter session that begins Monday.

The opposition leaders requested the EC to plan the SIR exercise in a better manner amid reports that booth level officers (BLOs) are under immense pressure as they go from door-to-door to complete the mammoth task in a tight schedule.

Some deaths by suicide of BLOs have been reported from West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. The state assembly election in West Bengal is due early next year.

The first stage of the three-level SIR exercise in Bengal is coming to a close. The EC has identified 18.70 lakh dead voters still existing in the current voters’ list till the evening of November 29.

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The EC has further scaled up its estimated number of voters likely to be deleted from the draft list; the new estimated figure on this count is around 35 lakh, which includes 18.70 lakh voters who have died in addition to duplicate voters, untraceable voters, and voters who have permanently shifted to other states.

The revision covers Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

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The extension provides voters additional time to verify their details, file objections, or make the necessary corrections to their entries in the voter list.