Voter List and Special Intensive Revision (SIR): Your Right to Be Registered
Who can be a voter, how your name is added, removed or corrected, how an SIR differs from the routine revision, and what has happened since the Bihar SIR of 2025.
The lawVoter List in India: Articles 325 and 326 and the RP Act, 1950
325. No person to be ineligible for inclusion in, or to claim to be included in a special, electoral roll on grounds of religion, race, caste or sex.
There shall be one general electoral roll for every territorial constituency for election to either House of Parliament or to the House or either House of the Legislature of a State and no person shall be ineligible for inclusion in any such roll or claim to be included in any special electoral roll for any such constituency on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex or any of them.
326. Elections to the House of the People and to the Legislative Assemblies of States to be on the basis of adult suffrage.
The elections to the House of the People and to the Legislative Assembly of every State shall be on the basis of adult suffrage; that is to say, every person who is a citizen of India and who is not less than eighteen years of age on such date as may be fixed in that behalf by or under any law made by the appropriate Legislature and is not otherwise disqualified under this Constitution or any law made by the appropriate Legislature on the ground of non-residence, unsoundness of mind, crime or corrupt or illegal practice, shall be entitled to be registered as a voter at any such election.
Representation of the People Act, 1950 (key sections, summarised)
Section 14(b): "qualifying date" means the 1st day of January, the 1st day of April, the 1st day of July and the 1st day of October of the year in which the roll is prepared or revised (four dates since the Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021).
Section 16: a person is disqualified for registration if he is not a citizen of India, or is of unsound mind and stands so declared by a competent court, or is disqualified from voting under any law relating to corrupt practices and other offences in connection with elections.
Section 19: every person who is not less than eighteen years of age on the qualifying date and is ordinarily resident in a constituency shall be entitled to be registered in the electoral roll for that constituency.
Section 21: the roll shall be revised before each general election and, unless the Election Commission otherwise directs, annually in the prescribed manner; under sub-section (3) the Commission may at any time, for reasons to be recorded, direct a special revision.
Sections 22 and 23: correction of entries and inclusion of names by the Electoral Registration Officer; Section 24: appeals to the District Magistrate and then to the Chief Electoral Officer.
Your right to vote has two keys. The first is eligibility: you must be an Indian citizen, 18 or older on a qualifying date, ordinarily resident in the area, and not disqualified. The second is registration: your name must be on the electoral roll of your constituency. Without the second key, the first is useless on polling day. Article 325 adds a promise: one common roll for everyone, with no separate lists by religion, race, caste or sex.
🏠 Everyday analogy
A school attendance register: being enrolled in the school is not enough; if your name is missing from the register, the teacher will not mark you present. The voter list is democracy's attendance register.
🇮🇳 Real Indian example
A first-time voter who turns 18 on 1 April 2026 does not have to wait a whole year: since the 2021 amendment there are four qualifying dates (1 January, 1 April, 1 July, 1 October), and she can apply in advance on Form 6.
Your formsHow to Add, Delete or Correct a Name: Form 6, 7 and 8
| Form | Use it to |
|---|---|
| 6 | Add your name as a new voter, or after moving to another constituency |
| 6A | Register as an overseas (NRI) voter |
| 6B | Give your Aadhaar number to the roll (voluntary) |
| 7 | Object to a name or ask for deletion (death, shifting, duplicate) |
| 8 | Correct details, shift within the constituency, replace EPIC, or mark a person with disability |
- 1Apply
Online on voters.eci.gov.in or the Voter Helpline app, or on paper through your Booth Level Officer (BLO).
- 2Verification
The BLO may visit your home; the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) decides.
- 3Appeal
If the ERO rejects or deletes, appeal to the District Magistrate, then to the Chief Electoral Officer (Section 24).
- 4Check before polling
Search your name on the portal by EPIC number or details. Names cannot be added after the last date for nominations.
SSR vs SIRSpecial Intensive Revision (SIR) vs Summary Revision: The Difference
Summary revision (SSR)
- Routine, usually every year
- Existing roll is the base; draft published, people file claims and objections
- No fresh proof needed from voters already on the roll
- Section 21(2), RP Act 1950
Special Intensive Revision (SIR)
- Special, ordered by the Commission for recorded reasons
- House-to-house enumeration: every elector fills a fresh form
- Voters may be asked for documents of age, birth or citizenship-linked eligibility
- Section 21(3), RP Act 1950; earlier intensive revisions took place before 2004
SIR 2025-26SIR of Voter Lists 2025-2026: Timeline and Both Sides
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 24 Jun 2025 | The Commission orders an SIR in Bihar, with 7.89 crore electors on the roll. |
| 1 Aug 2025 | Draft roll: about 65 lakh names left out (about 22 lakh dead, 36 lakh shifted or not found, 7 lakh duplicate, as per the Commission). |
| Sep 2025 | The Supreme Court, hearing ADR and others, lets the exercise go on and directs that Aadhaar be accepted as a 12th document, for identity and not as proof of citizenship. |
| 30 Sep 2025 | Final Bihar roll: about 7.42 crore electors (3.66 lakh more removed, 21.53 lakh added). |
| 4 Nov 2025 | Phase 2 begins in 12 States and UTs with about 51 crore electors. |
| 2026 | Further phases, including West Bengal and Delhi; large deletions are reported and disputed, two Election Commissioners' objections are reported in September, and protests follow. |
| 15 Oct 2026 | The Supreme Court issues notice on the opposition leaders' pleas and tags them with the pending SIR cases, saying this is not a view on the merits. |
The Commission's case
- Rolls had dead, shifted and duplicate names
- Only eligible citizens should vote (Art. 326)
- Claims, objections and appeals remain open
The critics' case
- Burden of proof shifts to the voter
- Poor and migrant voters may lose their vote
- Timelines too short; decisions questioned inside the Commission
Connect the dotsRead Next: Related Notes
- Who supervises the roll: Powers and functions of the Election Commission.
- The routine 2027 drive: Special Summary Revision 2027.
- Removal notices linked to the SIR: Removal of the CEC.
- Equality behind Article 325: Article 14.
- Citizenship, the root of voting rights: Article 5.
Quick revisionOne-Line Revision Points (Exam Ready)
- Article 325: one general roll; no exclusion on religion, race, caste or sex.
- Article 326: adult suffrage; voting age 18 since the 61st Amendment (1988).
- Roll law: RP Act, 1950; conduct of elections: RP Act, 1951.
- Four qualifying dates since 2021: 1 Jan, 1 Apr, 1 Jul, 1 Oct.
- Form 6 add, 6A NRI, 6B Aadhaar, 7 delete, 8 correct / shift.
- Special revision power: Section 21(3), RP Act 1950.
- Bihar SIR: final roll 30 Sep 2025, about 7.42 crore electors.
- National Voters' Day: 25 January.
Practice MCQPractice MCQs (with Answers): Voter list and SIR
Which Constitutional Amendment reduced the voting age from 21 to 18 years?
Which form is used to add a new name to the voter list?
Which Article provides for one general electoral roll for every constituency?
Under which section of the RP Act, 1950 can the Election Commission order a special revision of rolls?
Consider: 1. Since 2021 there are four qualifying dates in a year for enrolment. 2. Linking Aadhaar with the voter list is compulsory. Which is/are correct?
Doubts ClearedFrequently Asked Questions
What is SIR in the voter list?
SIR means Special Intensive Revision: a fresh, house-to-house preparation of the voter list in which every elector fills an enumeration form, ordered by the Election Commission under Section 21(3) of the RP Act, 1950.
How do I add my name to the voter list?
Fill Form 6 online at voters.eci.gov.in or on the Voter Helpline app, or give it to your BLO, with a photo and proof of age and address.
What can I do if my name is deleted?
Apply again on Form 6 and, if a deletion order was passed, appeal to the District Magistrate and then the Chief Electoral Officer under Section 24 of the RP Act, 1950.
Is the SIR legal?
The Commission relies on Article 324 and Section 21(3). Petitions challenging the way it is being done are pending in the Supreme Court; the Court has let it continue while hearing them.
Sources and further readingSources We Checked
Facts checked on 21 October 2026. Bihar figures are the Commission's published numbers as reported; State-wise deletion totals of 2026 vary between sources and are not given here.
- Constitution of India, Part XV (Legislative Department)
- Election Commission of India: Voters' Service Portal
- Election Commission of India (official website)
- SabrangIndia: Bihar SIR final voter list, electorate 7.42 crore
- Tribune: second phase of SIR in 12 States/UTs from 4 November
- Onmanorama, 15 Oct 2026: SC issues notice to ECI, Gyanesh Kumar on INDIA bloc pleas against SIR