The Election Commission of India on Saturday announced a series of measures to simplify the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, including doorstep verification for voters who receive notices, greater use of online hearings and special assistance for vulnerable groups.
The Commission also decided to set up a committee to review its ECINET portal and check whether the system complies with the relevant laws and rules. The committee will be headed by a Senior Deputy Election Commissioner and will include an independent expert from an IIT or IIIT.
The decisions came amid reports of differences within the three member Election Commission over aspects of the SIR exercise and the functioning of its IT systems.
BLOs to Visit Voters Facing SIR Notices
Under the revised procedure, voters who receive notices because they have been classified as “unmapped” or have logical discrepancies will ordinarily not have to appear before the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) or Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO).
Instead, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will visit their homes, collect the required documents and upload them to ECINET for consideration by the ERO.
Hearings will be held only in exceptional cases decided by the ERO and will preferably be conducted online. An adult member of the elector’s family may also be authorised to appear on their behalf if required.
The ECI has directed District Election Officers to set up help desks and special camps for people living in night shelters, labourers, homeless people and economically vulnerable sections.
The Commission cited Goa as an example, saying BLOs had been directed to visit voters left out of the rolls. According to the ECI, 81 of 97 such voters have already submitted Form 6 applications for inclusion.
ECI to Review ECINET Portal
The Commission said field officials currently have role based access to ECINET according to their statutory powers.
It has now decided to constitute a committee headed by a Senior Deputy Election Commissioner and including an independent expert from an IIT or IIIT to review the system and ensure compliance with the relevant Acts and Rules.
The ECI said several upgrades had already been made based on inputs from State Chief Electoral Officers. It added that further requirements raised by field officials would also be considered.
ECINET was launched by the ECI in January 2026 as an integrated digital platform for election related services. The Commission had said at the time that the platform was developed in accordance with the Constitution, the Representation of the People Acts and election rules.
Deadlines Extended in Delhi and Maharashtra
The Commission has extended the deadline for filing claims and objections in Delhi to October 30, 2026. The deadline for disposing of notices, claims and objections has been extended to November 30.
In Maharashtra, electors can now file claims and objections until October 12, while disposal has been extended until November 10.
The ECI also said its June 24, 2025 order initiating the nationwide SIR was approved unanimously by the Commission and was upheld by the Supreme Court on May 27, 2026.
The Commission further said SIR had already been completed in 20 states and Union Territories, including Bihar and West Bengal. It said people whose names were left out could apply for inclusion through the continuous updation process.
BJP Defends Election Commission
The BJP welcomed the ECI statement and criticised the Congress over its allegations against the poll panel.
BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra accused the Congress of attacking constitutional institutions and said the photograph showing Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi was evidence that the three commissioners had acted together.
Former Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also said the ECI statement showed that decisions concerning SIR had been taken with the consent of all three commissioners.
These statements were made in response to reports of differences within the Commission. The ECI itself said its SIR decisions had received unanimous approval.
Congress Rejects ECI Explanation
The Congress, however, rejected the Commission’s explanation and repeated its demand for the resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar and suspension of the SIR exercise.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the ECI statement did not directly address the issues raised in recent media reports about differences within the Commission.
Ramesh also questioned the decision to review ECINET, arguing that the concerns raised by the Opposition were not only about the technical functioning of the portal but also about the centralisation of electoral processes.
He questioned why deadlines had been extended in Delhi and Maharashtra but raised concerns about voters in other states where SIR had already been conducted.
The Congress has alleged that the ongoing SIR could lead to large scale disenfranchisement. These allegations are disputed by the Election Commission, which has maintained that the exercise is being conducted under the law and that its major decisions were unanimously approved.
The ECI has now introduced additional verification measures, extended deadlines in two states and ordered a review of its digital platform as the SIR process continues.
