India is the world’s largest democracy, where elections play a crucial role in public participation and representation. In a democratic system, power is vested in the people and exercised directly or through elected representatives. The Constitution of India grants every citizen above 18 years the right to vote. The Election Commission of India (ECI), an independent constitutional body, conducts free and fair elections based on the principle that all citizens are equal before the law.
Established under Article 324 of the Constitution, the ECI is responsible for supervising and administering elections at both Union and State levels. Elections enable citizens to choose governments at the State and national levels. To ensure proper enrolment, the ECI prepares draft electoral rolls in every constituency. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) work at the grassroots level to prepare and verify these rolls.
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is a detailed, one-time verification drive undertaken by the ECI to update and verify electoral rolls, far more rigorous than annual revisions. The SIR is currently underway in Goa along with 11 other states. In Goa, 1,725 BLOs are conducting house-to-house visits to distribute and assist electors in filling out Enumeration Forms. BLO Supervisors, election officials, political party-appointed BLAs and volunteers are also involved to ensure no eligible voter is left out.
The SIR involves verification of voter details, addition of new eligible voters, and deletion of names of deceased or shifted electors. The exercise is being conducted as per the guidelines issued on 24 June 2025. Where Enumeration Forms are not returned, BLOs identify probable reasons such as absence, shifting, death or duplication after local inquiry. Booth-wise lists of excluded electors are displayed at Panchayat Bhavans, urban local body offices, and Block Development Offices, and consolidated lists are uploaded on the CEO’s website.
The ECI has extended the enumeration period in Goa till 11 December 2025. Electors can submit forms online through the Voters Service Portal or ECINET App, or with the help of BLOs. The final rolls for some states, including Bihar, have already been published. Goa also has 88 overseas electors who can submit forms online.
Submission of false enumeration forms, including for deceased persons, non-citizens, duplicate entries, or false declarations, is punishable with imprisonment up to one year, fine, or both under the Representation of the People Act, 1950. Receiving notices during SIR 2026 will not affect voting rights in the Zilla Panchayat elections scheduled for December 2025.
As of 12 noon on 8 December 2025, 11,83,544 forms — 99.87% of the 11,85,034 existing electors — have been collected and digitised. A 24x7 State Level Help Desk at 1950 has also been made operational.
India has conducted 18 Lok Sabha elections and over 400 State Assembly elections since independence. In the 2024 General Elections, over 20,000 candidates from 743 political parties participated, supported by over 20 million election personnel. The ECI has assured the Supreme Court that no name will be deleted without due notice and opportunity.
The election machinery continues to work tirelessly to ensure clean electoral rolls. The efforts of BLOs, CEOs, DEOs, government staff, political parties, agents, and the media deserve appreciation for strengthening India’s democratic process.
(The writer is an Information Officer)
