SIR explained: What Telangana voters need to know

The Special Intensive Review (SIR) of electoral rolls has created considerable interest and confusion among voters. This process involves linking current voter records to the 2002 voter rolls, submitting affidavits and, in some cases, providing supporting documents. From the purpose of the exercise to concerns raised by political parties, here are answers to some frequently asked questions:

What is SIR?

The Election Commission of India has conducted a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the Electoral Rolls to update and correct the electoral roll. SIR has already been conducted eight times from 1951 to 2004, according to the Election Commission of India on its website. The last SIR conducted in what is now Telangana was in 2002. In the past, voter data was collected from scratch, but since 2002, the process has been modernized and the existing data updated.

Why is SIR needed?

In order to preserve the sanctity of the democratic process, electoral rolls need to be cleaned to avoid duplication, names of deceased voters removed and corrections made to existing data. With its door-to-door approach, it differs from the regular special summary review of voter lists.

What is the procedure for SIR?

The SIR is conducted using pre-printed enumeration forms which the voters bring to the voters’ doorsteps by the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) appointed for each polling station. In Telangana, door-to-door visits by BLOs will begin from June 25 and continue till July 24. Each BLO, which covers about 1,000 voters, has to visit each household at least three times during this period – to provide the enumeration forms, help with the form filling process and collect the forms back. The BLO will also assist voters in mapping their entry using the 2002 electoral rolls, which is mandatory in the latest SIR.

In case of new voters, the BLO will also provide Form 6 along with the Declaration Form for Enrollment.

The voter can also fill the form online on the website “For this, the name of the voter must match his name on the Aadhaar card.

After the door-to-door collection of forms is completed, the draft voter lists will be published on July 31. A month until August 30 will be given to file claims and objections, and the final voter lists will be published on October 1.

Between July 31 and September 28 is the “notification phase” when Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) issue notices to voters whose details could not be mapped or are mapped with anomalies and hear claims and objections. Those who receive the notification should appear at the ERO within the specified time with relevant documents to prove their citizenship.

What is SIR pre-mapping?

The preliminary mapping involved comparing voters from the 2002 SIR with those on the current roll before the full SIR was carried out. Pre-mapped voters need not provide any documents for enrollment during the SIR process if the details match.

Voters can search for their names in the 2002 list using the ‘ or ‘ links. Search criteria that can be used include the voter’s name or the name and type of relative. The site also hosts partial election data in PDF format to facilitate polling by polling station. A hard copy of the 2002 rolls will be made available to the BLO during their visit.

If an elector’s name is not found in the 2002 rolls, he or she can try to obtain the electors’ details of their parents or grandparents, whose details should be filled in on the census form. These details can be traced from the official website of Chief Electoral Officer Telangana at “https:// ceotelangana.nic.in” using names or EPIC numbers as search criteria.

What concerns did the political parties raise?

Political parties have expressed concern about voters categorized as “anomalies”. Among the cases cited are voters who have six children, discrepancies in the spelling of names between the 2002 and 2025 electoral rolls, a 15-year age gap between a father and a child, and a 40-year age gap between a grandfather and a grandchild.

The parties sought to include government-issued documents, including driver’s licenses and other identification records. It was also requested to make it clear whether the voters are required to attach their respective photographs or they will be pre-printed on the form. As several voters cannot read Telugu, demands have been made to issue them in English and Urdu.

What are the challenges for voters?

Those who have changed residence frequently while living in rented accommodation are also unsure of the procedure.

Many voters said they found it difficult to search for their names on the website. When searching the 2002 electoral rolls, some voters and in some cases their parents do not seem to remember the polling stations and booth numbers (not a required field) they were registered in.

The problem of different spellings of voters and their parents in the voter list from 2025 and from 2002 is also a matter of course. The question also remains whether these voters should register as new voters or apply for correction of their details through Form 8.

Published – 19 Jun 2026 22:14 IST