E-Paper
370mn SIR forms handed out across 12 states: EC
The Election Commission of India reports 99.41% of electoral forms printed and 72.66% distributed in the ongoing revision across 12 states and UTs.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday released its first update on the progress of the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which is underway from November 4 to December 4. According to the update, 99.41 % of Enumeration Forms (EFs) have been printed and 72.66% distributed across 12 States and Union Territories covered in this phase.
The total number of electors in these States and UTs as of October 27 isapproximately 509 million. EC officials said that 370 million forms have already been distributed.
Among the major States, Uttar Pradesh has reported 99.99% printing of forms, with 108 million distributed to 154.4 million electors, marking a distribution rate of 69.95% Tamil Nadu has achieved full printing and 78.09% distribution, while Rajasthan recorded 99.58% printing and 70.94% distribution.
In Madhya Pradesh, 95.54% of forms have been printed and 53.83% distributed. Gujarat reported 100% printing and 88.08% distribution, while West Bengal reported 99.75% printing and 88.8% distribution.
Smaller States and Union Territories have reported near-complete progress. Goa has printed all 1.2 million forms and distributed 99.99% . Lakshadweep has completed both printing and distribution of all 57,813 forms. Puducherry has distributed 93.04% of its printed forms. The Andaman & Nicobar Islands have printed all forms and distributed 89.22%
Kerala, with 27.8 million electors, has achieved 100% printing but a distribution rate of 49.55% the lowest among the listed States. Chhattisgarh has also completed printing but distributed 63.75%
Phase-2 of SIR has become a contentious exercise in states such as Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, where opposition parties including Trinamool Congress and DMK have questioned the timing and transparency of the revision process. Political parties in these States have alleged inconsistencies in voter deletions and transfers during Bihar SIR, prompting calls for greater scrutiny. ECI, however, has maintained that the SIR is a routine statutory exercise aimed at ensuring accuracy and inclusion in the electoral roll.
The issue is also before the Supreme Court, where a petition by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and several opposition parties including RJD, TMC, and DMK. The court has previously observed that transparency in electoral data is vital to maintaining public confidence, and the ongoing SIR is being closely followed in that context. The next hearing is scheduled for November 26.
Across all 12 regions, 5,33,093 Booth Level Officers and 7,64,419 Booth Level Agents are engaged in the enumeration process. The commission noted that the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) of each assembly constituency appoint BLOs with the approval of District Election Officers (DEOs). Recognized political parties have been requested to appoint additional BLAs where required. ECI stated that the enumeration phase would continue until December 4, after which verification and claims processes would follow.
