No Rift Over SIR, Election Commission Clarifies

The Election Commission of India has rejected reports of differences between Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. In a joint statement, the three commissioners said decisions related to SIR were taken unanimously by the full Commission. The statement was issued after a full Commission meeting on Saturday evening. The ECI said decisions taken by the Commission over the past year were the outcome of unanimous deliberations.

The poll panel said the decision to undertake SIR across the country was also taken unanimously, with notifications issued for Bihar, West Bengal and 30 other States and Union Territories. It said the final voter figures would be known only after completion of the third phase in 12 States. The ECI also clarified that voters who receive notices over unmapped entries or logical discrepancies would not ordinarily be required to appear personally before Electoral Registration Officers, as BLOs would visit their homes and upload documents for consideration. Hearings, if required in special cases, could be conducted online, with an adult family member allowed to represent the household. The Commission also said help desks and special camps would be arranged for homeless people, workers and other vulnerable groups, while new voters and those whose names are missing from the rolls can apply to the ERO.