Election Commission Orders Doorstep Document Collection for SIR Notices; Routine Office Hearings Not Required
Bengaluru/New Delhi: Voters issued notices during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) because they are unmapped or have logical discrepancies in their records need not routinely visit electoral registration offices for hearings, under decisions announced by the Election Commission on September 26. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will instead visit their homes, collect documents and upload them on ECINet for a decision by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO).
The Commission said hearings in these cases would be held only in exceptional circumstances, as determined by the ERO, and should preferably take place online. An elector may also authorise any adult family member to attend a hearing on their behalf, where one is required.
The decisions were taken at a Commission meeting held at 3 pm on September 26, 2026. Alongside the changes to document collection and hearings, the Commission announced enrolment drives for people left out of electoral rolls, special assistance for vulnerable groups, an independent-expert review of ECINet and revised deadlines for Delhi and Maharashtra.
The doorstep-document arrangement specifically covers people who have received notices for being unmapped or for logical discrepancies during the ongoing SIR. BLOs will collect and upload the documents, while the ERO will remain responsible for deciding the case.
The Commission also directed that facilities for online hearings be strengthened to support the revised arrangements.
District Election Officers (DEOs) have been asked to establish an adequate number of help desks and organise special camps, according to local requirements, for people living in night shelters, workers, poor people, homeless persons and other groups needing assistance.
The Commission separately called for an immediate special enrolment drive for people whose names were left out during SIR or subsequently, as well as young and first-time voters.
It said SIR had already been completed in 20 states and Union Territories, including Bihar and West Bengal. Anyone whose name had been left out during the exercise or thereafter could apply to the ERO concerned for inclusion through the continuous updating of electoral rolls, the statement said.
Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) have been directed to facilitate such applications. CEOs, DEOs and EROs will immediately launch a special drive to enrol these electors, according to the Commission.
The statement cited an exercise in Goa, where the CEO had directed BLOs to visit the homes of left-out voters and collect their forms. Of the 97 voters referred to in the statement, 81 had already filled Form 6 seeking inclusion. The statement described the submission of forms, rather than confirming that all those applications had resulted in enrolment.
The Commission also extended deadlines in Delhi and Maharashtra following requests from their respective Chief Electoral Officers.
In Delhi, the deadline for filing claims and objections has been extended to October 30, 2026. The period for disposing of notices, claims and objections has been extended to November 30, 2026.
In Maharashtra, claims and objections can be filed until October 12, 2026. The deadline for disposing of notices, claims and objections has been extended to November 10, 2026.
The filing deadlines and disposal deadlines are separate stages of the process. The extensions announced in the statement apply to Delhi and Maharashtra; it does not announce a revised deadline for Karnataka.
On Form 6, the Commission said the declaration attached to the form for SIR had been upheld by the Supreme Court. During non-SIR periods, the forms prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 will be used, it said.
Another decision concerns a review of ECINet, the system on which BLOs will upload documents collected from notice recipients.
A committee headed by a Senior Deputy Election Commissioner and including an independent expert from an IIT or IIIT will review the system to double-check its compliance with the relevant Acts and Rules. The committee will submit its report to the Commission.
The Commission said field officers have role-based access to ECINet in accordance with their statutory powers. It added that several upgrades had already been made over the preceding months based on inputs from state CEOs.
Any further flexibility required by field officers would be made operational, the statement said. Going forward, all new initiatives concerning information technology modules and portals will be discussed by the Committee of Officers before being placed before the Commission for approval.
The statement also addressed a letter to the Cabinet Secretary and the supervision of the Commission’s IT division.
It said the letter concerned the functioning of an officer on deputation to the Election Commission and was not related to a policy matter of the Commission or its IT division.
According to the statement, work-redistribution orders issued by the officer concerned were not implemented following orders from the two Election Commissioners. Oversight of the IT division by the Deputy Election Commissioner was never withdrawn, it said.
The Commission reiterated that its decisions to undertake SIR had received unanimous approval.
It said the June 24, 2025 order for SIR across states and Union Territories, beginning with Bihar and followed by West Bengal and 30 other states and Union Territories, had been issued with the Commission’s unanimous approval. According to the statement, the Supreme Court upheld the order on May 27, 2026.
The Commission also said the SIR schedule for 12 states and Union Territories, issued on October 27, 2025, and the schedule for 19 states and Union Territories, issued on May 14, 2026, had received unanimous approval.
The final number of electors would be known only after final publication of the rolls in the remaining 12 states covered by Phase III, it said.
The meeting also resulted in directions on the Commission’s internal functioning. Agendas will be circulated before all Commission meetings, and minutes will be issued.
Annual Performance Appraisal Reports of all officers must be completed within the stipulated deadline of December 31 each year. Officers’ foreign visits will require the Commission’s approval.
The Commission further directed that all instructions issued by the Election Commissioners to its officers be meticulously complied with.
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