The Election Commission on Saturday directed Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to visit the homes of voters who have been issued notices during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) over unmapped records or logical discrepancies.
The BLOs will collect the required documents from these voters and upload them on the ECINET platform for consideration by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO). The voters will not normally be required to appear before the ERO or Assistant ERO for a hearing.
The decision was taken at the Commission’s meeting on September 26. The ECI said hearings should be held only in exceptional cases decided by the ERO and, preferably, through online mode. An elector can also authorise an adult family member to attend the hearing on their behalf.
The Commission has asked District Election Officers to set up help desks and hold special camps for people living in night shelters, labourers, poor people and homeless persons to assist them with the electoral process.
The ECI has meanwhile ordered a review of its ECINET system. A committee headed by a Senior Deputy Election Commissioner and including an independent expert from an IIT or IIM will examine whether the platform complies with the relevant Acts and Rules and submit its report to the Commission.
Several other changes were announced in the same meeting. The deadline for filing claims and objections in Delhi has been extended to October 30, with disposal allowed until November 30. In Maharashtra, claims and objections can be filed until October 12, while their disposal has been extended until November 10.
The Commission said SIR has been completed in 20 States and Union Territories, including Bihar and West Bengal. Voters left out during SIR, including young and first-time voters, can apply to the concerned ERO for inclusion through continuous updation.
The ECI also reiterated that its decisions on SIR, including the nationwide exercise, were approved unanimously by the full Commission.
It said the SIR order had also been upheld by the Supreme Court in its May 27, 2026 order.
