Context:
The Election Commission of India (ECI) is facing serious operational and human resource challenges during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across nine States and three Union Territories. While form distribution has reached near-universal coverage, digitisation progress remains poor, placing Booth Level Officers (BLOs) under intense pressure and raising concerns about administrative ethics, worker welfare, and electoral governance.
Key Highlights:
Status of the Special Intensive Revision
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SIR is being conducted with a deadline of December 4.
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99% of the 51 crore registered electors have received enumeration forms.
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However, only around 16% of completed forms have been digitised, indicating a major execution gap.
Human Resource Stress and Welfare Issues
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A third suicide of a BLO was reported in West Bengal, allegedly linked to deadline pressure.
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BLOs are required to:
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Conduct door-to-door verification
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Physically match forms with old electoral rolls
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Assist in digitisation
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These duties are being performed alongside regular administrative responsibilities, leading to severe workload stress.
Process Design and Administrative Burden
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If physical matching with old rolls fails, notices will be issued between December 26 and January 31, 2026.
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The process remains manual-heavy, increasing error rates and time burden.
State-wise Challenges
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Uttar Pradesh:
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Only 3.77% forms digitised.
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FIRs filed against six BLOs in Bulandshahr for alleged negligence.
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West Bengal:
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Language barriers as forms are in Bengali in Hindi-speaking areas.
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Kerala:
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Digitisation rate of 1.89%.
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Sought postponement of SIR.
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EC set up collection and digitisation hubs and warned against disrupting BLO work.
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Tamil Nadu (Chennai):
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Voters, especially in low-income areas, struggle to provide:
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Pre-2005 voter ID
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Polling booth details
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EC’s Corrective Measures
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After difficulties in Bihar, the EC:
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Removed the requirement to submit documents for electors not listed in the 2003 rolls.
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Indicates mid-course correction, but implementation challenges persist.
Relevant Prelims Points:
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Issue: Lagging digitisation and excessive workload during electoral roll revision.
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Causes:
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Tight deadlines
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Manual verification processes
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Inadequate digital infrastructure and manpower
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Key Institutions:
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Election Commission of India
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Booth Level Officers (BLOs)
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Process:
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Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls
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Benefits of SIR:
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Updated and accurate voter lists
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Enhanced electoral integrity
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Challenges:
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Worker burnout
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Technological bottlenecks
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Language and documentation barriers
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Impact:
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Risks exclusion of genuine voters
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Raises concerns about administrative fairness
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Relevant Mains Points:
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Key Concepts Explained:
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SIR: Periodic verification and updation of electoral rolls
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BLO: Grassroots election official responsible for voter verification
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Electoral Roll: Official list of eligible voters under Article 324
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Governance and Constitutional Dimensions:
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Article 324: Powers and responsibilities of the Election Commission
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Ethical obligation to protect frontline workers
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Administrative Concerns:
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Criminalising systemic failures through FIRs
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Over-centralised timelines ignoring regional capacity
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Way Forward:
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Rationalise deadlines based on ground realities
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Accelerate end-to-end digitisation
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Provide training, mental health support, and workload safeguards for BLOs
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Avoid punitive actions for institutional shortcomings
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Improve multilingual support and documentation flexibility
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UPSC Relevance (GS-wise):
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GS 2 (Polity): Election Commission, electoral rolls, democratic processes
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GS 2 (Governance): Administrative capacity, ethics, worker welfare
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GS 2 (Prelims): SIR, BLO, electoral roll revision