Special Intensive Revision (SIR): A 'Purification' of Electoral Rolls or a Risk of Mass Disenfranchisement?
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Indian Polity and Governance (Election Commission of India - ECI, Article 324, Representation of the People Act 1950, Electoral Rolls, Voter Registration).
Mains:
General Studies Paper 2 (Polity & Governance): Powers, functions and responsibilities of various Constitutional Bodies (ECI); Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act; Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability (Electoral reforms, free and fair elections).
General Studies Paper 1 (Society): Population and associated issues (Migration); Role of women (disenfranchisement of women).
Key Highlights from the News
After Bihar, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has started a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists in 12 states and Union Territories.
The stated objective is to "purify" the voter list by removing permanently shifted, dead voters, and other errors.
However, the experience in Bihar suggests that this process has led to the disenfranchisement of many eligible people.
Contradictions in Bihar:
After SIR, the gender ratio in the voter list decreased from 907 women per 1000 men to 892. This is abnormal.
Even in constituencies where more women voted than men, proportionally more women were excluded from the voter list.
More women between the ages of 18-29 were excluded, citing "permanently shifted" as the reason.
Flaws in the procedure:
A very short timeline was given for the revision.
The onus of verification is not only on officials (BLOs) but also on citizens who are representatives of political parties (Booth Level Agents - BLAs).
The facility to fill out forms online will not be beneficial for everyone due to the existing digital divide.
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