AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has questioned the Election Commission’s newly announced measures concerning the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The Election Commission on September 26 announced several measures aimed at addressing concerns of voters facing notices over being “unmapped” or having logical discrepancies in their electoral records. Under the new arrangement, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will visit the homes of such voters to collect documents and upload them to the ECINet portal. Personal hearings before Electoral Registration Officers will generally not be required and may be held only in exceptional cases, preferably online.
Owaisi Questions SIR Process
- Owaisi questioned how the new home visit and document mapping process would work in practice, particularly for families where previous generation voter records are unavailable.
- He raised an example involving a father and son both needing to submit Form 6 and questioned how family mapping would be established when relevant records are missing.
- He also said that conducting house to house visits and issuing notices could be difficult for BLOs, particularly across large urban and rural areas.
- Owaisi also questioned the Election Commission’s internal decision making process amid reports of differences among the commissioners. He referred to reports that two Election Commissioners had raised objections over certain administrative matters and questioned the circumstances surrounding those communications.
Election Commission Announces Additional Measures
According to the Election Commission, the September 26 decisions include:
- BLOs will visit voters facing unmapped or logical discrepancy notices to collect documents.
- Documents will be uploaded to the ECINet portal for consideration by the ERO.
- Personal ERO hearings will generally not be required.
- Help desks and special camps will be established for vulnerable groups, including homeless people, labourers and people living in night shelters.
- The deadline for filing claims and objections in Delhi has been extended to October 30, with disposal extended to November 30.
- In Maharashtra, the filing deadline has been extended to October 12 and disposal to November 10.
- A committee headed by a Senior Deputy Election Commissioner, including an independent expert from IIT/IIIT, will review the ECINet system.
EC Says SIR Decisions Were Unanimous
- The Election Commission has stated that its major SIR decisions were taken with the unanimous approval of the full Commission. It also said the SIR order issued in June 2025 and subsequent schedules were approved unanimously and that the Supreme Court had upheld the SIR order in May 2026.
- The Commission further said SIR has already been completed in 20 States and Union Territories, including Bihar and West Bengal, while the final elector count will be known after completion of the remaining Phase-III states.
Political Debate Continues
- Owaisi’s comments come amid a wider political debate over the SIR process, documentation requirements, voter inclusion and the functioning of the Election Commission.
- The Election Commission, meanwhile, has announced measures intended to provide additional assistance to voters and extend opportunities for filing claims and objections.
- The SIR process and the implementation of the newly announced measures are expected to remain a major issue in the ongoing debate over electoral rolls and voter registration.
