Pan-India Special Intensive Revision (SIR) – Phase 2
Scope of Phase 2:
Covers 12 states and Union Territories (UTs): andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal.
Assam was excluded due to its unique citizenship verification process under the Citizenship Act.
Reason for Assam’s Exclusion:
Chief election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar stated that assam has distinct citizenship provisions supervised by the supreme Court.
24th SIR order is nationwide but not applicable to Assam; separate revision orders will be issued for the state.
Purpose of SIR:
First nationwide voter roll revision in 21 years.
Aims to update and cleanse electoral rolls across the country.
CEC’s Statement on West Bengal
CEC Kumar denied any confrontation with the West bengal government over SIR.
Emphadata-sized adherence to constitutional duties by both the election commission and state governments.
Clarified that the june 24 SIR order applies nationwide, with additional instructions for the 12 states.
Political Tensions Over SIR
West Bengal:
TMC, led by mamata banerjee, criticizes SIR as a “backdoor NRC implementation.”
TMC vows to prevent arbitrary deletion of names from voter lists.
BJP Position:
Advocates SIR as essential to remove the names of illegal migrants, fueling political divide with TMC.
Kerala Context:
CEC stated local body elections have not been notified, so SIR will proceed as planned.
Timeline for Phase 2
Enumeration: november 4 – december 4
Draft rolls release: december 9
Appeal period for missing names: Until january 8
Hearings: january 8 – january 31
Final voter list publication: february 7
Phase 1 Recap: First phase conducted in bihar ahead of assembly elections next month.