Election Commission prepares nationwide voter list overhaul with 2 Lakh new officers

Massive expansion of ground staff

The Commission aims to significantly improve voter coverage by assigning each of the new BLOs responsibility for approximately 250 households. Currently, India has about 10.5 lakh BLOs serving an average of 943 voters each. With the new appointments, this ratio will improve to one BLO per 900 voters, ensuring more personalized attention to voter registration and verification.

Streamlined documentation process

Based on lessons learned from Bihar's ongoing SIR process, the Commission estimates that 55-60% of voters nationwide will not need to submit fresh documents during the review. Voters who participated in previous intensive revisions conducted between 2002 and 2008 will be exempt from resubmission requirements.

The Supreme Court has directed the Election Commission to include Aadhaar as the 12th valid document for voter verification, alongside 11 other accepted documents including voter ID cards, passports, birth certificates, and educational certificates. This addition comes despite earlier concerns about document forgery, with the Court noting that any document can potentially be forged.

Extended timeline for comprehensive coverage

The Commission is considering extending the timeline for form submissions and objections from 30 to 45 days, potentially stretching the entire SIR process to four or five months. This extension aims to ensure maximum participation and minimize exclusions of eligible voters.

The nationwide exercise will be the most extensive since the early 2000s, when similar intensive revisions were conducted in northeastern states, Jammu & Kashmir, Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh, and Delhi.

Crackdown on dormant political parties

Simultaneously, the Election Commission has intensified its scrutiny of registered political parties. Over 300 parties have already lost registration for failing to contest elections in six years, with nearly half of the remaining 3,000 registered parties facing possible de-registration.

New verification rules will require checking at least 20 out of 100 member affidavits during party registration, with discrepancies triggering broader investigations. Parties failing to respond to notices within 15 days could lose their registration status.

National rollout strategy

A recent conference of Chief Electoral Officers from all states and Union Territories on September 10 confirmed preparations for the nationwide rollout. The timing is strategically planned ahead of assembly elections scheduled for 2026 in five states: Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal.

The Commission has directed state CEOs to prepare customized document lists based on locally accepted and easily available certificates, recognizing regional variations in identity and residence proofs, particularly for tribal populations and northeastern states.

This comprehensive voter list revision represents the Election Commission's commitment to maintaining electoral integrity while ensuring no eligible citizen is excluded from the democratic process.