- Why in news
- On 14 May 2026 the Election Commission of India ordered Phase-III of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in 16 States and 3 UTs, to run in phases.
- What it is
- Special Intensive Revision is a house-to-house re-verification of the electoral roll by the Election Commission. Booth Level Officers visit each household, enumerate electors, and a draft roll is published for claims and objections before the final roll. The ECI acts under Article 324 and the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which governs preparation of electoral rolls.
- Why the schedule
- Dates were fixed to share field machinery with the Census house listing.
- Scale
- Over 3.94 lakh BLOs will visit 36.73 crore electors, assisted by 3.42 lakh BLAs appointed by political parties.
- Earlier phases
- Phases I and II covered 13 States/UTs with nearly 59 crore electors.
- Constitutional basis
- Article 324 vests superintendence, direction and control of electoral rolls and elections in the ECI.
Don’t confuse with RP Act 1950 vs 1951: The 1950 Act covers seat allocation and electoral rolls; the 1951 Act covers conduct of elections, disqualifications and disputes.
Don’t confuse with BLO vs BLA: BLO is an election official who visits homes; BLA is an agent appointed by a political party to assist.
Laws, judgments and statutory bodies: 30 Prelims questions since 2013 (what the law says, who chairs, legal basis). In Mains, 44 news-triggered questions, most in GS2, asking for provisions and challenges.
Why it matters
- Aims at accurate rolls by removing dead, shifted and duplicate entries.
- Party agents in the process add transparency and a check on the exercise.
Problems
- Risk of wrongful exclusion of genuine electors, especially migrants and the poor, because of document requirements.
- Heavy workload on BLOs, who are often government staff also engaged in the Census.
Way forward
- Give wide notice, simple documents and an easy claims-and-objections process with fair hearing.
- Publish deletion lists and keep political parties involved at every stage.
Put in your answer
Article 324: The ECI's constitutional power over electoral rolls and elections is the base for SIR.
Participatory design: Parties are asked to appoint BLAs for every polling booth to ensure transparency.
- 2026Mains GS2 · Q4Is voting a fundamental right; can ECI examine voter citizenship?
- 2004Prelims Q35Which functions belong to ECI, including preparing electoral rolls?
- 2006Prelims Q50Which commission was created under a specific constitutional Article?
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
Prelims practice · Single answer
Ours, not from a UPSC paper
With reference to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls ordered by the Election Commission of India in May 2026, consider the following statements:
Which one of the following is correct?
True or false?
1 of 7
Statements the way Prelims prints them. Say first, then see the fact.
1.Phase-III of SIR covers all States and UTs of the country without exception.
False. Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh are excluded for now; their schedule will be announced later.
2.The Phase-III schedule was fixed keeping in view the common field machinery with the ongoing Census house listing.
True. The release gives shared field machinery with Census house listing as the reason.
3.Booth Level Agents are appointed by the Election Commission from among government staff.
False. BLAs are appointed by political parties; BLOs are the election officials.
4.Superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls is vested in the Election Commission under Article 324.
True. Article 324 gives the ECI this power.
5.Phase-III involves house-to-house visits to about 36.73 crore electors.
True. The release gives 36.73 crore electors.
6.Phases I and II of SIR together covered nearly 59 crore electors in 13 States/UTs.
True. The release states nearly 59 crore electors in 13 States/UTs.
7.The preparation of electoral rolls is governed by the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
False. Electoral rolls are governed by the Representation of the People Act, 1950; the 1951 Act deals with conduct of elections.
Written by us from the release, not by UPSC; checked by a second model.
Mains practice
15 marks · 250 words
The Election Commission of India has ordered Phase-III of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in 16 States and 3 Union Territories, covering about 36.73 crore electors. Examine the constitutional and legal basis of the Commission's power over electoral rolls. Discuss the challenges such a house-to-house revision raises for inclusion and transparency, and suggest a way forward.
Worth revising until Prelims 2027: most news questions come within two years of the event.