‘One Of Most Accurate Electoral Rolls In World’: CEC Gyanesh Kumar Vows To Clean Voter List As ECI Rolls Out Big SIR Plan

New Delhi: India’s electoral machinery is going all out to build one of the most precise voter lists globally, as per the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). Speaking in Dehradun on Saturday, CEC Gyanesh Kumar underlined that the Election Commission of India (ECI) is combining proactive enrolment with systematic clean-up to protect the integrity of the rolls.

Addressing the 2nd National Conference of Counsels representing the Election Commission of India, Gyanesh Kumar said that the Commission’s focus is twofold, which includes bringing in every citizen who has turned 18 and removing names that no longer belong. The CEC's statement is crucial as the Commission presses ahead with the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in several states.

Kumar also chaired a high-level review meeting in Dehradun on May 25 to check preparations for the SIR in Uttarakhand. During the meeting, he stressed that the exercise is designed to verify the voter list by spotting errors and ineligible entries, while urging electors to cooperate with ground staff.

Proactive Enrolment And Systematic Clean-up

The CEC explained that the ECI’s approach is not passive, saying, “All citizens of India who have attained 18 years of age are being included proactively by our electoral machinery, and all those who are ineligible, such as deceased, duplicate, absent, shifted, and foreign electors, are being systematically removed.” He added that the aim is to ensure no eligible voter is left out and no ineligible name remains on the list.

He also appealed directly to voters to provide their latest passport-size photographs during the revision and to assist Booth Level Officers (BLOs). According to him, cooperation from citizens is crucial for accuracy at the booth level.

SIR Stands Legal Scrutiny: CEC

Defending the SIR, CEC Kumar asserted that the process has already faced judicial examination and emerged intact. “The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has not only withstood the scrutiny of the highest court in India, but it has also been immensely successful in meeting its constitutional and legal mandate,” he stated. He termed it a constitutionally sound exercise meant to correct and update the electoral database.

The CEC emphasised that the main objective of SIR in Uttarakhand and elsewhere is to verify accuracy by identifying “absent, shifted, deceased, duplicate, and foreign voters". He called it the core purpose behind the intensive door-to-door and field verification underway.

Massive Ground Force Under Political Oversight

Gyanesh Kumar also outlined the scale at which the revision is being carried out, noting, “I must also share with you that this Special Intensive Revision is conducted under the close watch of more than 15 lakh booth-level agents, alongside the district and state presidents of all national and state political parties.” He said that the presence of party representatives adds transparency and accountability to the process.

He further added that the actual work on the ground is being done by state government staff deputed to the Commission. “The exercise is executed by over 11 lakh booth-level officers, Assistant Electoral Registration Officers... All of them are state government employees on deputation to the Election Commission of India, working together to prepare one of the most, and I repeat, one of the most accurate electoral rolls in the entire world,” the CEC concluded.

The Commission, with millions of voters and officials involved, hopes that the exercise will reinforce public trust in elections and send a clear message to the voters that accurate rolls begin with accurate information.