SIR Documents: After Bihar , the work of updating the voter list has now begun in 12 states of the country. On Monday, the Election Commission had announced Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in 12 states including Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal . After SIR in Bihar, the Election Commission has made several changes in this entire process. Now documents will not be collected from the voters, this decision is based on the experience of Bihar. Aadhar card has been included as identity proof.
Unlike the Bihar SIR rules , the Election Commission ( EC) has now eliminated the need for voters to submit documents during the SIR process across the country. No documents will be requested from any voter during the enumeration stage . Voters who have not been linked to the previous SIR will be sent a notice by the Electoral Registration Officer ( ERO) so that their eligibility can be verified under Article 326 of the Constitution. Such voters will be required to submit one of the 11 documents specified in the Citizenship Act to prove their citizenship . These documents are the same as those requested in the Bihar SIR .
According to the Election Commission’s September 9 directive, Aadhaar cards will only be accepted as proof of identity, not as proof of citizenship. Electoral Registration Officers ( EROs) will be free to accept any alternative document provided by the voter. The enumeration form has also been updated to allow for the entry of voter information or their parents/relatives associated with previous SIRs after 2002-04. This will include information such as name, EPIC number (if available), kinship, district, state, and assembly constituency.
For voters who have not returned their enumeration forms, the Booth Level Officer ( BLO) will collect information from people nearby and record whether the person is absent, transferred, dead or duplicate.
A booth-wise list of those excluded from the draft voter list will be displayed on the notice board of the Panchayat, local body, or BDO office, along with possible reasons for their exclusion. This list will also be available on the website of the Chief Electoral Officer ( CEO) of the state.
Also, BLOs will go door to door and collect at least 30 blank Form-6 and declaration forms, so that any new person who wants to register his name in the voter list can easily avail this facility. When the Electoral Registration Officer ( ERO) publishes the notice for release of draft voter list, they will also invite advance applications for further eligibility dates – April 1, July 1 and October 1, 2026 .
