After more than two decades, the Election Commission has announced plans to embark on a nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls, a task that goes beyond administrative updating to touch the very core of electoral legitimacy. For a democracy as vast and diverse as India’s, this is not merely a bureaucratic exercise. It is an essential reaffirmation of democratic inclusion and institutional credibility. The scale of the exercise underscores both its urgency and ambition.

Beginning in 12 states and union territories, including Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh, the SIR aims to verify and update every entry in the voter lists against records from the early 2000s. The Commission’s plan to complete the process by February 2026 signals a rare commitment to institutional thoroughness – something India’s electoral system, despite its reputation for integrity, has increasingly needed. Over time, voter rolls have accumulated inaccuracies that........

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