Context:
The Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, currently underway in nine States and three Union Territories, has exposed significant administrative, technological, and human resource challenges. While form distribution has nearly been completed, digitisation remains severely lagging, placing Booth Level Officers (BLOs) under intense pressure and raising concerns about governance capacity, worker welfare, and electoral integrity.
Key Highlights:
Status of the SIR Exercise
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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 forms.
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However, only around 16% of completed forms have been digitised, indicating a major implementation gap.
Human Resource Stress and Welfare Concerns
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A third suicide of a BLO was reported in West Bengal, allegedly due to work pressure and deadline stress.
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BLOs are tasked with:
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Field verification
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Physical matching with old electoral rolls
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Digitisation support
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Many BLOs are also managing regular administrative duties, intensifying burnout.
State-wise Implementation Challenges
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Uttar Pradesh:
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Only 3.77% digitisation achieved.
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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 at 1.89%.
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State sought postponement of SIR.
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EC responded by creating digitisation hubs and warning against disruption of BLO work.
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Tamil Nadu (Chennai):
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Electors, 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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Process Tweaks by Election Commission
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After issues surfaced in Bihar, the EC:
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Removed the requirement to submit documents for voters not listed in 2003 electoral rolls.
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BLOs must physically match forms with old rolls; if unsuccessful:
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Notices will be issued between December 26 and January 31, 2026.
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Governance and Institutional Concerns
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Over-reliance on manual verification
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Inadequate digital infrastructure and training
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Risk of administrative coercion, as seen in FIRs against BLOs
Relevant Prelims Points:
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Issue: Lagging digitisation and excessive pressure during electoral roll revision.
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Causes:
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Tight timelines
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Manual-heavy verification process
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Inadequate manpower and digitisation support
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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 Involved:
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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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Reduced electoral fraud
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Challenges:
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Human resource stress
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Technological bottlenecks
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Language and documentation barriers
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Impact:
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Threat to timely and inclusive voter enrolment
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Concerns over administrative ethics
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Relevant Mains Points:
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Key Concepts Explained:
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Special Intensive Revision (SIR): Periodic verification of electoral rolls
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Booth Level Officer (BLO): Grassroots official responsible for voter verification
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Electoral Roll: Official voter list under Article 324 framework
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Constitutional and Governance Dimensions:
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Article 324: Powers of Election Commission
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Ethical governance and duty of care towards frontline workers
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Administrative Concerns:
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Target-driven implementation without capacity assessment
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Risk of criminalising administrative lapses
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Way Forward:
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Rationalise timelines based on ground capacity
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Accelerate end-to-end digital verification
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Provide mental health and workload safeguards for BLOs
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Avoid coercive actions like FIRs for systemic failures
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Improve multilingual and documentation support for voters
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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, frontline worker welfare
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GS 2 (Prelims): SIR, BLO, electoral roll revision