On October 27 of the previous year, the Election Commission of India (ECI) initiated the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across 12 states and Union Territories. This announcement followed the contentious SIR in Bihar, which concluded on September 30.
Concerns regarding the tight timeline emerged shortly after. On November 25, S Chockalingam, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Maharashtra, communicated to the ECI that the designated schedule was overly compressed, requesting additional time to adequately complete the electoral revision process, as reported by The Sunday Express.
Although Maharashtra was not included in the 12 states selected for the SIR, the CEO’s correspondence was part of the broader feedback exchanged between the ECI and various states. With over 90 million eligible voters, Maharashtra ranks among the top three states in India for its voter population, trailing only Uttar Pradesh.
The foresight of the CEO’s warning became evident when issues arose during the SIR in West Bengal, where approximately 8.9 million names were removed from the electoral rolls, leading to Supreme Court involvement and a resulting controversy that has overshadowed the upcoming elections in that state, scheduled for April 23 and 29.
The second phase of the SIR commenced on November 4 in the 12 states and UTs, which included West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry, all of which are preparing for elections. The completion of this process stretched over five months, necessitating several deadline extensions. In West Bengal, 2.7 million voters, whose names were removed following judicial reviews, now face the risk of not being able to appeal these decisions in time to cast their votes.
This warning from the CEO’s office was recently discussed during a meeting with a Congress delegation, which took place about a week ago. Maharashtra Congress President Harshvardhan Sapkal confirmed that one of their requests was to consider the SIR process from 2001-02, which lasted 13 months, as a model for the current undertaking. Officials indicated that they had already submitted a request to the ECI urging against a rushed process.
The correspondence explicitly requested that adequate time be allocated for the program, particularly in areas where elections are not imminent. It referenced the SIR conducted in Maharashtra from November 2001 to December 2002, which was not completed on time due to previously insufficient time to address objections and appeals.
An official noted, “The objective is not merely to eliminate voter names but to revise the electoral list. For this, ample time is essential.” The letter from Maharashtra’s CEO also highlighted a new requirement not present in the 2002 process: the mapping of current voter data against the previous SIR records, which was described as a labor-intensive task not adequately factored into the ECI’s guidelines.
The 2002 SIR process included 83 days of preparatory work, such as reviewing officer assignments, training enumerators, and printing necessary forms, prior to initiating house-to-house enumeration on November 5, 2001. Although the draft electoral roll was published on January 16, 2002, the final publication was delayed until December 3, 2002, to accommodate sufficient time for claims and objections to be resolved.
As of the time of reporting, the ECI had not responded to inquiries sent on Friday, and Chockalingam refrained from commenting on the issue. However, ECI officials indicated that many states, including Maharashtra, which have yet to announce their SIR, had begun the process of mapping current elector data with the last intensive revision.
In Maharashtra, progress has been sluggish, with reports indicating that currently, only 30-35% of the work has been completed in various districts. An official mentioned that the pace would increase in the coming days, and once mapping is finalized, the subsequent phases could proceed.
When asked about the concerns raised by Maharashtra regarding the tight timeline—especially considering the additional mapping requirements—an ECI official stated that the next phase of the SIR would likely commence only after the completion of the five ongoing Assembly elections on May 4, thus allowing states ample time for mapping.
Additionally, it was noted that the house-listing phase of the Census, scheduled from April 1 to September 30, could further delay the SIR, as both initiatives rely on a similar pool of local resources, including school teachers, anganwadi workers, and state employees.
The 12 states and UTs included in the SIR announcement on October 27 were Rajasthan, Goa, Lakshadweep, Puducherry, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh. Enumeration activities commenced on November 4 and concluded on April 10 with the publication of the final voter roll for Uttar Pradesh, resulting in the removal of approximately 5.37 crore voter names, amounting to 10.55% of the total across the involved states and UTs.
Alok Deshpande serves as a Special Correspondent within The Indian Express’ Mumbai bureau, recognized for his insightful and authoritative reporting on governance, politics, and the socio-economic dynamics of Maharashtra’s rural regions. His academic background in Geology and early career in the water sector enrich his reporting on resource and environmental issues.
