EC plans SIR phase 3 amid Census and exam constraints: Report
Poll body seeks available window as teacher-BLOs remain occupied with school exams and upcoming Census 2027 duties across the country
The Election Commission of India (EC) is reportedly preparing to launch Phase 3 of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls which would cover the rest of the country.
The EC reportedly had a high-level discussion with the Census Commissioner and the Registrar General of India (RGI) to decide on the possible dates for phase 3 of the SIR, given the fact that the Census 2027 is scheduled to be carried out in the country.
It is learnt that the only available periods for Phase 3 of the SIR are between February and April or between June and August this year.
Census, exam season
The EC is constrained in deciding on the dates for the phase 3 because of the impending Census 2027 exercise and the upcoming exam season across the country.
The poll body has heavily relied on the Booth Level Officer (BLO) to conduct the SIR enumeration exercise, and in most cases, the BLOs have been government teachers.
The EC has to find a window when the government teachers are not engaged in their usual occupation in schools, especially during the final exams, or deployed for Census activities.
Also Read: Bengal SIR crisis deepens as BLOs quit, voters resort to violence
The Census, a pan-India exercise, is going to be conducted in two phases. The first phase would be “house listing”, planned between April and September this year, with the activity to be completed within 30 days in each state. The second phase of population enumeration is scheduled for February 2027.
School exams are scheduled during the months of February and March, which would mean that the teachers will not be available for the SIR exercise as BLOs, which has turned out to be quite a time-consuming affair for them.
Complaints about SIR Phase 2
Phase 2 of the SIR has witnessed several problems in the 12 states and Union territories it has been conducted in, including poll-bound states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and West Bengal.
There have been numerous complaints from BLOs on the heavy workload and deadline pressures, since they have to map every voter against the previous intensive revision of electoral rolls in 2002. There have been several alleged cases of suicides of BLOs unable to withstand the work pressure.
Also Read: 54 lakh voter names deleted in Bengal SIR, 84 dead, alleges Mamata Banerjee
There has also been political opposition to the manner in which the SIR is being carried out, with several state governments filing cases in court over large numbers of voters being removed from the rolls for various reasons. The Supreme Court just last week raised questions over the number of electors deleted from the rolls, and the apex court also asked the EC to extend deadlines for voters to file appeals.
The EC’s sudden launch of the SIR in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections in the state in June 2025 and the subsequent Phase 2 has sparked a national debate on the exercise.
The EC’s task for phase 3 will be more complicated due to the clashing of dates with the Census and exams.