Election Commission announces decisions on SIR, ECINET
The Election Commission on Saturday said its order for conducting the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across all states and Union territories was issued with the unanimous approval of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, amid reports of differences within the poll panel.
The Commission addressed the question of whether there had been disagreement within the poll panel over SIR. It said the SIR order issued on June 24, 2025, covering all states and Union Territories, beginning with Bihar and followed by West Bengal and 30 other states and UTs, was issued with the “unanimous approval of the Commission.”
The Election Commission on Saturday said the Supreme Court upheld the declaration attached to Form 6 for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). For non-SIR periods, the EC will use the forms prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
The EC said field officers have role-based access to ECINET based on their statutory powers. A committee headed by a senior Deputy Election Commissioner and including an independent IIT/IIIT expert will review ECINET’s compliance with relevant laws and rules.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners SS Sandhu and Vivek Joshi met at the Election Commission headquarters in New Delhi on Saturday amid questions over the functioning of the poll panel and the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The Commission met at 3 pm and subsequently issued a detailed press note outlining a series of decisions on the SIR process, ECINet, Form 6, claims and objections, as well as recent questions surrounding an internal communication to the Cabinet Secretary.
Statement said:
The meeting of the Commission was held today i.e. 26.09.2026 at 3:00 PM. The following decisions were taken in the meeting:
In case of any person to whom notice has been issued during the ongoing SIR, for unmapped and logical discrepancies, BLOs will visit the homes of such persons for collection of documents and thereafter upload them on the ECINet, for decision by the ERO.
Such persons need not be called for hearing to ERO/AERO office. Only in exceptional circumstances, as decided by the ERO, the hearing will be held preferably online. Any adult member of the family can be authorized by the elector to attend the hearing on their behalf, if required. Facilities for the online hearing to be strengthened.
ii.
DEOs (District Election Officers) will create adequate number of help desks/hold special camps for the people living in night shelters, labor, poor people, homeless etc. as per requirement.
iii. The declaration attached to Form 6 for SIR has been upheld by the Hon’ble Supreme Court. For non-SIR period, the Forms applicable as per Rules (the Registration of Electors Rules 1960) will be used.
iv. Field officers have role-based access to the ECINET system as per their statutory powers. A Committee headed by Sr. Deputy Election Commissioner (DEC) and including an independent expert from IIT/IIIT will review the ECINET to double-check.
On the controversy surrounding the Cabinet Secretary letter, the EC said it was “not related to any policy matter of the Commission or IT division”, but concerned the “working of an officer on deputation to EC.”
The Commission added that work redistribution orders issued by the officer “were not actually implemented” after orders from two Commissioners and that “the oversight over the IT division by the DEC was never actually withdrawn.”
This was the first meeting of CEC Gyanesh Kumar with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi since reports emerged of their dissent over decisions related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The clarification comes against the backdrop of questions over the functioning of the Commission and the role of its IT division, with the EC using Saturday’s meeting to put its position on record.
It added that the Supreme Court upheld the order on May 27, 2026.
The schedules subsequently issued for 12 states and UTs in October 2025 and 19 states and UTs in May 2026 were also issued with the “unanimous approval of the Commission,” the EC said.
WHAT HAPPENS TO VOTERS FLAGGED DURING SIR
For voters who have received notices for being “unmapped” or having logical discrepancies, the Commission has changed the process for verification.
Booth Level Officers will now visit the homes of such voters to collect documents and upload them on ECINet for a decision by the Electoral Registration Officer. Such voters “need not be called for hearing to ERO/AERO office.” Hearings will take place only in exceptional circumstances, as decided by the ERO, and will preferably be held online. An adult family member can also be authorised by the elector to attend the hearing on their behalf, if necessary.
The note said, “The declaration attached to Form 6 for SIR has been upheld by the Hon’ble Supreme Court.” For periods when SIR is not underway, the forms prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, will be used.
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