ELECTION COMMISSION ANNOUNCES SIR MEASURES AS OPPOSITION DEMANDS CEC’S REMOVAL

September 27, 2026

The Election Commission has announced a series of measures to ease difficulties linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, amid protests and growing political opposition to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

Under the revised arrangements, Booth Level Officers will visit the homes of voters who have received notices over unmapped records or logical discrepancies and collect their documents. Hearings at Electoral Registration Officer offices will no longer be required in such cases except in exceptional circumstances.

The commission also said people whose names were left out during the SIR, including young and first-time voters, can seek inclusion through the continuous-updation process. It announced a special enrolment drive and clarified that the additional declaration attached to Form 6 would apply only to applicants in states undergoing the SIR.

The measures follow reports of disagreements within the three-member poll panel, with Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi having raised objections on several decisions related to the electoral-roll revision. The commission, however, issued a joint statement after a meeting of all three commissioners and sought to emphasise institutional unity.

Opposition parties have said the changes do not address their broader concerns and are continuing to demand action against Kumar. The INDIA bloc is scheduled to meet in New Delhi on September 30 to discuss its further response to the SIR controversy.