Polity & GovernancePriority2025-11-04

ECI Launches Phase-II of Special Intensive Revision

Why focus: Core GS2 Polity testing RPA 1950 and Article 326. Great setup for Assertion-Reason MCQs on ECI's constitutional mandate vs statutory powers.

In News

What Happened

On November 4, 2025, the Election Commission of India (ECI) launched Phase-II of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) covering nearly 51 crore electors across 9 states and 3 Union Territories. Over 5.3 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) were deployed to go house-to-house to distribute and collect unique Enumeration Forms (EFs). The exercise aimed to verify existing voters, add eligible citizens, and delete the names of deceased, shifted, or duplicate voters.

Why It Matters

An accurate electoral roll is the fundamental requirement for free and fair elections in a democracy. By physically verifying voters and eliminating bogus or ineligible entries, the ECI ensures electoral integrity ahead of the 2026 assembly elections and addresses nationwide security and political concerns regarding illegal immigrants voting in border states.

Background

History & Context

The ECI generally conducts annual 'Summary Revisions' of electoral rolls, but 'Intensive Revisions' involving mandatory door-to-door enumeration are rare and highly targeted. The legal backing for this comes from Article 324 of the Constitution and Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. In late 2025, amid political debates over illegal immigration in border states like West Bengal, the ECI decided on a sweeping cleanup. After the successful completion of SIR Phase-I in Bihar with zero appeals, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar ordered Phase-II on October 27, 2025, targeting 12 States and UTs with a strict enumeration period ending in December.

What Changed

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Mandatory Door-to-Door Enumeration: Unlike regular summary updates where citizens apply online, over 5.3 lakh BLOs were mandated to visit houses up to three times to distribute pre-filled Enumeration Forms.
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Aadhaar Clarification: CEC Gyanesh Kumar explicitly ruled that the Aadhaar card would not be accepted as valid proof of date of birth or domicile during this voter registration drive.
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Deployment of BLAs: To ensure transparency, over 7.64 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by recognized political parties were formally integrated into the field verification process alongside the BLOs.
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Massive Scale of Deletions: The intensive verification triggered a significant reduction in total electors (e.g., dropping overall numbers by about 10.2 percent in certain regions) due to the removal of deceased and duplicate entries.
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Real-time Digitization: The ECI mandated near-immediate digitization of the collected Enumeration Forms, allowing real-time tracking of absent, shifted, or duplicate entries through state-level dashboards.

What Did NOT Change

Despite the political rhetoric confusing the SIR with citizenship verification exercises, the SIR did not alter the fundamental criteria for voting rights. The constitutional requirement under Article 326 - that a voter must be an Indian citizen, at least 18 years old, and an ordinary resident - remained the sole benchmark for inclusion.

Prelims Angle

NCERT Connection

In Class 11 Indian Constitution at Work, Chapter 3: 'Election and Representation', the text outlines the principle of Universal Adult Franchise and the role of the Election Commission under Article 324 in preparing the electoral roll. The 2025 SIR event is a practical demonstration of how the ECI exercises its independent constitutional authority to actively 'prepare, direct, and control' the rolls. It highlights the administrative machinery (like Booth Level Officers) required to translate the constitutional promise of 'one person, one vote' into reality by eliminating ghost voters.

Common Misconceptions

✗ The ECI needs prior permission from state governments to conduct a Special Intensive Revision.

✓ Under Article 324 of the Constitution and Section 21(3) of the RPA 1950, the ECI has the plenary and independent authority to order an intensive revision in any state without requiring state or central government permission.

Because the actual fieldwork is executed by the state's administrative machinery (Chief Electoral Officers, District Election Officers, and teachers acting as BLOs), it appears as though it is a state-run program.

✗ The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is legally equivalent to updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

✓ The SIR is strictly an electoral exercise governed by the Representation of the People Act, 1950, to ensure the voter list is accurate. It is not governed by the Citizenship Act, 1955, and does not formally declare someone a non-citizen.

Both exercises involve verifying documents and indirectly identify non-citizens (illegal immigrants) by removing them from lists, leading politicians and the public to conflate the two distinct legal processes.

Practice Questions

Q1

How Many Correct

Consider the following statements regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls: 1. The Election Commission of India derives its power to order an SIR exclusively from the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. 2. During the 2025 SIR, the ECI explicitly permitted the use of Aadhaar cards as definitive proof of date of birth and domicile. 3. Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by recognized political parties are permitted to assist in the verification process during the SIR. How many of the above statements are correct?

Q2

Match the Following

Match the legal and administrative provisions related to electoral rolls (List I) with their correct source or description (List II): List I A. Overarching power of superintendence of elections B. Statutory mandate for preparation and revision of rolls C. Universal Adult Suffrage and basic eligibility D. Detailed forms and procedures for registration List II 1. Article 326 of the Constitution 2. Article 324 of the Constitution 3. Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 4. Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950

Q3

Assertion & Reason

Assertion (A): The Election Commission of India can unilaterally direct a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in a specific state without the prior approval of that state's government. Reason (R): The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of a state is an independent constitutional authority who operates completely outside the control of the state government. Select the correct answer from the codes given below:

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