SIR stands for special intensive revision, an exercise conducted by the Election Commission of India in order to remove redundancies in the electoral rolls. SIR was conducted in Bihar in advance of polls in 2025 and subsequently in most of the remaining states and union territories. The exercise became controversial when it was held in Assam, Kerala (now Keralam), Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Puducherry ahead of the 2026 legislative assembly elections. The SIR required all voters in poll-bound states to resubmit their particulars in order to be included in the electoral rolls, attracting criticism from opposition parties who argued that minority voters were being deliberately disenfranchised. In West Bengal alone, more than 9 million voters were excluded from the revised electoral rolls although some were later restored. As of May 2026 SIR was undertaken in all states and union territories except Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, where the exercise was postponed because of weather considerations.
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies.
Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style