Intensive special review of electoral rolls likely to be rolled out in Delhi

The Delhi poll panel has started preparations for the possible launch of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the national capital soon, although no date has been decided yet, it was announced on Monday (September 15).

Preparations are underway for the exercise with officials being trained and vacancies in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), they added.

The review drive is expected to ensure greater accuracy and transparency in election rolls ahead of the upcoming elections, an official said.

While the Election Commission is yet to announce an official timetable, sources said the basics of the exercise have entered an advanced stage.
“We want to be prepared every time the exercise is launched. We train officers.

Although there are no elections scheduled in Delhi immediately, officials said they need to be prepared.

In July, election data from the 2008 Special Intensive Review was uploaded to the Delhi CEO’s website, triggering speculation that the exercise could be expanded across the country.

The SIR of voters’ roll in Bihar – the first since 2003 – has sparked a huge political row, with opposition parties alleging that the exercise is aimed at disenfranchising people. The EC held that the objective of the SIR was to ensure that the names of all eligible citizens are included in the electoral roll and no ineligible voters are included therein.

The SIR results reduced the total number of registered voters in Bihar from 7.9 crore before the exercise to 7.24 crore.

The revision of the special summary, 2025, released by the Delhi electoral officer this year, showed that the capital had 1,55,24,858 registered voters, including 83,49,645, 71,73,952 third sector voters.