CEC Gyanesh Kumar shares update on SIR rollout in remaining states

The revision exercise is presently being conducted across 12 states and Union territories.

Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters' lists in the remaining states will be rolled out soon , Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said on Saturday as he described "pure" electoral rolls as the bedrock of democracy and said that the revision exercise is presently being conducted "smoothly" across 12 states and Union territories.

File photo of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. (@ECISVEEP)

This exercise has been successfully completed in Bihar, and a 'special revision' of electoral rolls is separately underway in Assam, Kumar was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

He said, "It (SIR) will soon be rolled out in the remaining states as well as he spoke on the eve of the Election Commission's foundation day, also celebrated as National Voters' Day.

"The most compelling testament to the success of the SIR in Bihar was that not a single appeal was filed against the final electoral roll, establishing its sanctity and credibility," Kumar was quoted as saying.

According to the chief election commissioner, polls conducted on "this strong foundation" proved historic, recording the highest voter turnout since 1951 at 67.13%, with women electors registering an unprecedented participation rate of 71.78 %.

He also emphasised the role of all electors, especially the youth, and urged them to vote without fail and to become ambassadors of democracy

"I call upon our young electors to lead the fight against misinformation, disinformation, and false narratives. For this, it is essential that they remain fully informed about electoral processes and the various initiatives of the Election Commission," he said.

The Election Commission was established on January 25, 1950 and for the past 16 years, the day is celebrated as National Voters' Day.

Meanwhile, in the SIR exercise in Uttar Pradesh the poll body has eased the process for responding to a hearing notice issued under the Uttar Pradesh SIR of the voter list.

Now, if a notice for an SIR hearing is issued, the concerned voter could nominate someone else to appear on their behalf.

In a press release by the UP Chief Electoral Officer, Navdeep Rinwa, proceedings have begun to sequentially issue notices to voters whose mapping could not be done using the 2003 SIR voter list based on the details provided in their enumeration forms.

“Hearings on the notices issued according to the prescribed procedure are being conducted by all Electoral Registration Officers and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers across the state,” the press note states in Hindi.