Special Intensive Revision (SIR)- Why and How?
Objective: The aim is to ensure all eligible citizens are included and ineligible names are excluded, upholding the integrity and accuracy of the electoral roll.
Legal Authority: The Election Commission of India (ECI), empowered by Article 324 of the Constitution and the Representation of People Act, 1950 (RPA 1950), is responsible for preparing and maintaining accurate electoral rolls.
Need for Revision: Maintaining the integrity of electoral rolls is crucial for free and fair elections. Due to significant changes in the rolls over 20 years, caused by urbanization, migration, and new eligible voters, there is a risk of duplicate or ineligible entries.
Previous Revisions: The ECI has periodically conducted intensive revisions since the 1950s. The last such revision in Bihar was in 2003.
Eligibility Verification:
- The 2003 electoral roll will be treated as strong evidence of eligibility and citizenship unless contrary evidence is found.
- Those not listed in the 2003 roll must submit government-issued documents to prove their eligibility.
Process:
- All existing electors will receive a pre-filled enumeration form; submission before July 25, 2025, is required for inclusion in the draft roll.
- Special care will be taken to assist vulnerable groups.
- No deletion from the draft roll will occur without inquiry and opportunity to be heard.
- Grievances can be appealed to the District Magistrate, and further to the Chief Electoral Officer.
- New applicants or those shifting from outside Bihar must also submit an additional declaration form along with Form 6/Form 8.
- Under Section 24 of the Act, an appeal against the order of ERO can also be made to the District Magistrate and the second appeal to the Chief Electoral Officer.
Current Process
Form Submission
The SIR process requires all voters to submit an enumeration form to Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
The partially filled forms are also available for download on the ECI portal (https://voters.eci.gov.in) as well on ECINET App and the filled forms can be uploaded by the elector himself on ECINET App.
Current Progress
As per the data till 7:00 p.m. on Saturday (July 5, 2025), a total of 1,12,01,674 enumeration forms have been collected in Bihar, which is 14.18% of the total number of potential voters.
In addition, the total number of counting forms uploaded was 23,90,329, out of which 23,14,602 forms were uploaded through Block Level Officers, while 75,789 forms were uploaded by general voters through online mode.
Documentation Requirements
The process also asks for supporting documents to establish the voter's date and place of birth. There is a list of 11 indicative documents provided for this purpose.
Voters who were already enrolled in January 2003 need to submit only an extract of the 2003 electoral roll. Those enrolled after this date are required to submit additional documents.
Timelines
Source: ECI Website; The Hindu
Important Forms
📝 Enumeration Form (Form 6)
This form is used for:
- New voter registration, or
- Corrections and updates to existing entries.
View the Enumeration Form here:
📄 Declaration Form (Annexure D)
This additional declaration is required along with Form 6/Form 8 for:
- New registrations, or
- Requests for shifting from another state.
It supports certain claims in the enumeration form, such as citizenship status and residence.
View the Declaration Form here:
Document Requirements
The list of valid documents does not include Aadhaar. Instead, other documents such as caste certificates, family registers, and land allotment certificates are listed. Aadhaar, ration cards, and MGNREGA job cards are widely used as proof of identity in other contexts, but their use in this SIR is determined by current ECI guidelines.
Electors whose names exist in the Electoral Roll as on 1st January 2003 are only required to submit the Enumeration Form along with an extract of the roll, without the need for submitting any other documents (2003 electoral database available at https://voters.eci.gov.in). Those not listed in the 2003 Roll will need to submit a document (from the indicative list of 11 documents) for their date of birth/place of birth as per their birthdate:
- individuals born before 1st July 1987, to provide a document for themselves;
- those born between 1st July 1987 and 2nd December 2004, to include documents for themselves and one parent;
- individuals born after 2nd December 2004, to submit documents for themselves and both parents.
Government ID Cards
- Any identity card/Pension Payment Order issued to a regular employee/pensioner of any central or state government or a Public Sector Unit (PSU).
- Any identity card/certificate/document issued in India by the government/local authorities/banks/post office/LIC/PSUs prior to July 1, 1987.
Personal Documents
- Birth certificate issued by the competent authority.
- Passport.
- Matriculation/educational certificate issued by recognised boards/universities.
Certificates & Registers
- Permanent residence certificate issued by the competent state authority.
- Forest right certificate.
- OBC/SC/ST or any caste certificate issued by the competent authority.
- National register of citizens (wherever it exists).
- Family Register, prepared by state/local authorities.
- Any land/house allotment certificate by the government.
Verification Mechanism
House-to-House Verification: Booth Level Officers (BLOs) conduct a door-to-door survey, visiting every household within their designated area. BLOs verify the identity and eligibility of each resident, using the pre-filled enumeration forms as a basis for checking details.
Document Collection and Upload: Voters are required to provide supporting documents (as specified by the ECI) to establish citizenship, age, and place of residence. BLOs collect these documents, and the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) ensure that these are scanned and uploaded into the ECINET system for record-keeping and transparency. Access to these documents in ECINET is restricted to authorized election officials, protecting privacy.
Local Field Inquiry: If a voter is unable to produce the required documents or if there is doubt about the eligibility, the ERO or Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) may conduct a field inquiry. This involves verifying information through local investigation, cross-checking with other available records, or gathering evidence from local sources (such as neighbours or public records).
Claims, Objections, and Hearings: During the SIR, a claims and objections period is provided. If a voter’s name is not included, or if there are errors, a claim can be filed. Objections can be raised by individuals or political party agents regarding entries in the draft roll. The AERO/ERO inquires into these claims or objections before making a final decision. All decisions must be reasoned and documented.
No entry is deleted from the draft electoral roll without proper inquiry and an opportunity for the concerned person to be heard.
Can I appeal against exclusion?
1
The Final Electoral Roll will be published on the 30th September 2025.
Hard and soft copies will be given free of cost to all recognized political parties and published on the ECI website.
2
Appeal to District Magistrate
Any elector aggrieved by the decision of the ERO may appeal to the District Magistrate under Section 24(a) of the RP Act, 1950 within fifteen days of the order.
3
Further Appeal to Chief Electoral Officer
A further appeal may be preferred to the Chief Electoral Officer under Section 24(b) if the elector remains dissatisfied within 30 days of the order.
Special Considerations
Bihar has a large population of migrant workers and citizens who may not have all the required documents due to factors such as historical challenges in birth registration and documentation. The ECI has indicated that there are mechanisms in place, such as local verification, to address cases where voters are unable to produce the listed documents.
Next Steps
- The ongoing SIR process will continue with form submissions and document verification.
- The Chief Election Commissioner clarified that the deadline for document submission is July 25, 2025. For voters who are unable to submit documents by this date, there will be a claims and objections period from August 1 to September 1, 2025 to provide the necessary information or documents.
- Petitions challenging certain aspects of the SIR process are scheduled to be heard by the Supreme Court.
Guidelines and Communications
Official Communications Timeline
2
28.06.2025
Special Intensive Revision in Bihar has already started.
ECI already has 77,895 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and is appointing nearly 20,603 more BLOs for new polling stations.
More than One Lakh volunteers will be assisting genuine electors, particularly the old, sick, Persons with Disabilities (PwD), poor and other vulnerable groups during the SIR.
All recognised National and State Political Parties who are registered with ECI have also already appointed 1,54,977 Booth Level Agents (BLAs). They can still appoint more BLAs.
Printing as well as door-to-door distribution of new Enumeration Forms (EF) for all the existing 7,89,69,844 electors of Bihar has already started in each of the 243 Assembly Constituencies of Bihar. Online filling of the new Enumeration Forms (EFs) has already been enabled and has also started successfully.
Out of the existing 7,89,69,844 electors, 4.96 Crore electors, whose names are already in the last intensive revision of Electoral Roll on 01.01.2003, have to simply verify so, fill the Enumeration Form and submit it.
3
30.06.2025
2003 Electoral Rolls Uploaded on ECI Website.
Nearly 60 per cent of the total electorate, i.e., 4.96 crore electors do not need to submit any documents. Children of these 4.96 crore electors need not submit any other document relating to their parents.
They have to just verify their details from the 2003 Electoral Rolls in the ER and submit the filled-up Enumeration Form.
5
04.07.2025
SIR being implemented smoothly on ground. First visit of BLOs in nearly 1.5 crore households completed. 87 per cent Enumeration Forms distributed. Verification will start vigorously from August 02, 2025 onwards after publication of Draft Electoral Rolls. On the basis of the published Draft of Electoral Rolls, Claims and Objections will be received from any political parties or any member of public 2nd August 2025 onwards.
