In a major move to streamline the democratic process ahead of the next elections, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has decided to conduct the Systematic Identification and Revision (SIR) exercise in 12 states. The action is designed to ensure that every eligible voter is registered in the electoral rolls and gaps or duplication are removed well before time ahead of the next major elections.
The SIR, according to officials, would be done in phases, with all states undergoing a rigorous verification and review exercise. The states selected for performing the exercise are reported to include both poll-bound and non-poll-bound states, where anomalies in voter registration have been witnessed during the last few years. The ECI is of the opinion that such systematic endeavors are necessary to make the electoral system fair, transparent, and inclusive.
An official of the ECI has disclosed that the exercise would focus on three domains of work — voter rolls to track unregistered eligible voters, erasure of dead or duplicate entries, and verification of demographic details of voters on the rolls. “Our objective is that not a single eligible voter is left out and every vote counted in the ensuing elections actually reflects the people’s voice,” the official said.
The SIR process will also entail active involvement of municipal officials, Booth Level Officers (BLOs), and community volunteers who will go door-to-door to obtain accurate information. Rural and far-flung areas, youths, and first-time voters who are likely to be underenrolled in electoral rolls will be particularly attended to.
The Election Commission action has been welcomed by political experts as a positive move towards building public confidence, preceding high-profile state polls. Civil society groups have also emphasized that clean and up-to-date rolls of voters are very important in building strong democracy and preventing electoral malpractices from taking place.
As the country prepares for the upcoming elections, this huge SIR drive in 12 states is a reflection of the Commission’s unshakeable commitment to free and credible polls — where every citizen’s voice, however small, finds its rightful place in the ballot box.
