What the Special Intensive Revision is, which forms put a name on the voter roll or take it off, what changed during the SIR, and where the Supreme Court pushed back on the Election Commission.
India's voter rolls are kept up to date in three ways under Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. The SIR is the third kind, run as a full rebuild.
The existing roll is published as a draft. People file claims and objections, and the roll is corrected. Nobody has to re-qualify.
Officials go house to house and the roll is rebuilt from scratch. Bihar's last one was in 2003.
Section 21(3) lets the ECI order a revision of any kind at any time. The "Special Intensive Revision" uses this to run a full rebuild outside the normal cycle.
| Phase | Ordered | Coverage | Roll before → after |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bihar pilot | 24 Jun 2025 | Bihar | 7.89 → 7.42 crore (final) |
| Phase 2 | 27 Oct 2025 | 12 states and UTs, including UP, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala | 50.99 → 45.81 crore (final) |
| Phase 3 | 14 May 2026 | 19 states and UTs, including Maharashtra, Delhi, Karnataka, Telangana | about −6 crore at draft; final pending |
All of these are prescribed by the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. Changing a form formally requires the Law Ministry to amend the Rules.
The application to be included in the roll. Despite the "new voter" label, it is used by anyone whose name is not on the roll: first-time voters at 18, people who moved in from another constituency, and people who were deleted.
You show you are 18 or over, an Indian citizen, and ordinarily resident at the address.
An objection to someone's inclusion, or a request to remove a name: because the person has died, moved, is listed twice, is under age or is not a citizen. Since 2022 any voter in the constituency can file one.
Each objection needs a BLO's field check; more than five from one person need ERO verification; the voter gets notice and a hearing. A false declaration is punishable under Section 32 of the 1950 Act.
Change of address, correction of details, a replacement voter ID, or marking a person with disability. During the SIR the extra declaration was also attached to Form 8.
Added to Forms 6 and 8 for the SIR from June 2025: a citizenship declaration with documents depending on birth date, later a question on whether you or your parents were on the 2002–04 roll. Dropped for re-inclusion on 29 September 2026.
A BLO delivers a pre-filled form; you sign and return it within about a month.
Only returned forms go in. The rest are marked dead, shifted, duplicate or not found.
Your form is matched to the 2002–04 roll. Mapped through yourself or a parent: few or no documents.
Unmapped, or flagged by software for a "logical discrepancy": you must produce an eligibility document.
The Electoral Registration Officer decides to include or exclude you.
Appeal to the DEO, then the state CEO (Bengal used tribunals). Or re-apply later with Form 6.
Most names lost in the SIR were dropped at step 2, for not returning a form or not being found at home, rather than after an individual finding of ineligibility. The roll freezes once nominations close for an election, so anyone off it then cannot vote in that election.
Ordered with the Bihar SIR, which the ECI says was approved unanimously. Documents depend on birth date, following the Citizenship Act's cut-offs.
EROs, the officers the law makes responsible for the roll, lose ERONet powers to add and restore names. Changes move to the central ECINet platform.
During phase 2, people in several states report Form 7 deletion requests filed in their names without their knowledge. A probe is ordered in Bhopal; in Somnath, 269 people file forms to delete about 15,000 voters, most of them Muslim.
Sandhu and Joshi say the form cannot be changed without amending the Rules. Sandhu formally backs the objection on 19 May.
New applicants must attach their parents' details from the last revision. The online form cannot be submitted without the declaration.
A further question linking applicants to an earlier roll. Sandhu calls it unauthorised.
After the exposé, excluded voters in the 20 states and UTs where SIR is complete can re-apply on the plain statutory Form 6. Officials must compare pre- and post-SIR rolls to find wrongful deletions.
The Court has repeatedly corrected how the ECI ran the SIR, while upholding its power to hold one.
Raised concerns about running the revision months before Bihar's election, and asked the ECI to consider Aadhaar, voter ID and ration cards.
Directed the ECI to publish the 65 lakh names dropped from Bihar's draft roll with reasons, and to accept claims online.
Ordered Aadhaar accepted as a 12th document for identity, after petitioners said officials were refusing it despite earlier orders. It is still not proof of citizenship.
Rejected the ECI's claim that the Court had upheld the Form 6 declaration. It will examine the records to see who modified the form and said it can undo any decision found unlawful.
No blanket metro shutdown; no detention of peaceful protesters except by law.
Declined to halt the exercise or the draft roll while hearing challenges.
The ECI can run a special revision with recorded reasons. The Court rejected arguments that the procedure broke the 1950 Act and Rules, or undermined the presumption of citizenship for people already on the roll.
Rejected a plea challenging Sikkim's use of 2002 as the mapping base year.
Declined to restrain Gyanesh Kumar pending the case, citing the risk of stalling the Commission before elections.
The May 2026 judgment approved the Bihar framework. The later additions to Form 6 came after it, so the Court has said they are not covered. Most of the Court's 5 October remarks were oral; a written order on Form 6 is awaited.
Search the current roll on the ECI's voter services portal (voters.eci.gov.in) or your state CEO's site.
SIR complete in your state: file Form 6, online or through your BLO. No SIR declaration needed since 29 Sep 2026.
SIR still open (for example Delhi, Maharashtra): file a claim within the claims-and-objections window.
Excluded after a hearing: appeal to the District Election Officer.
Before any election is announced. The roll freezes when nominations close.