Introduction

India’s Election Commission (ECI) has launched the Special Intensive Revision (SIR 2.0) of electoral rolls to address a persistent issue, duplicate and multiple voter entries across constituencies and states. As the electoral roll forms the foundation of Indian democracy, its accuracy directly determines the legitimacy of elections. The initiative represents a nationwide, paperless, tech-driven approach that seeks to align the voter database with digital verification systems, ensuring that every vote counts once and only once.

Understanding the SIR and its Objective

1. Definition: The Special Intensive Revision (SIR), under the Representation of the People (RPA) Act, 1950, aims to ensure the integrity of electoral rolls and prevent duplication and impersonation.
2. Objective: To update, verify, and purify the voter database by leveraging technology, interlinked databases, and field-level verification.
3. Legal Basis: Under Section 22 and 23 of the RPA, 1950, corrections, deletions, and transfers of voter entries are authorized to maintain roll accuracy.
4. Context: This follows recent legal scrutiny and concerns raised after instances of double voting and duplicate EPIC numbers across states.

Why Duplicate Entries Are a Major Concern

1. Erosion of Electoral Integrity: Duplicate or multiple entries lead to bogus voting, undermining free and fair elections.
2. Systemic Weakness: Failures in linking EPIC (Elector Photo Identity Card) data and inter-state coordination have enabled repeated entries.
3. Case Example: In Prashant Kishor’s case, the same EPIC number was found in two constituencies, revealing system-level flaws.
4. Administrative Burden: Duplicate entries strain the ECI’s verification apparatus, consuming time, manpower, and digital resources.
5. Loss of Public Confidence: Recurring discrepancies in electoral lists weaken voter faith in institutional fairness and neutrality.

How the Electoral Roll is Being Purified

1. Tech Integration: The Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) use National Voters’ Service Portal (NVSP), AI-driven duplicate detection, and data cross-verification through NIC and CDAC systems.
2. Field-Level Verification: Enumerators conduct doorstep distribution and validation of forms to identify discrepancies.
3. Automated Detection: Use of Common Photo Identity Card (EPIC) data and facial/ID match algorithms ensures high accuracy in identifying duplication.
4. Legal Safeguards: Voters are given an opportunity to rectify records within six months under the law before deletion.
5. Accountability Mechanism: EROs are held responsible for false deletion or oversight in duplication verification.

How Technology is Transforming Voter Verification

1. Digital Synchronization: SIR 2.0 uses centralized databases for unified record-keeping across states.
2. EPIC-Database Linkage: Integration with Aadhaar and other ID repositories facilitates cross-verification while preventing fraudulent entries.
3. Machine Learning Models: These identify patterns of duplication and commonalities across datasets.
4. Paperless Process: Transition from manual to cloud-based verification reduces procedural errors.
5. Accountability Enhancement: Real-time dashboards enable monitoring of deletions, corrections, and transfers.

Challenges and Procedural Gaps

1. Administrative Lapse: Failures stem not from technology but from poor implementation and follow-up by EROs.
2. Inconsistent Updates: Delay in updating inter-constituency migration data leads to overlapping entries.
3. Procedural Redundancy: Revisions often become ritualistic exercises without systemic correction mechanisms.
4. Accountability Deficit: Lack of penal action against negligent officials reduces deterrence.
5. Digital Divide: Areas with limited connectivity face challenges in real-time digital verification.

Way Forward

1. Institutional Accountability: Make EROs answerable for errors through performance audits.
2. Continuous Roll Updating: Transition from annual revision to dynamic roll management.
3. Citizen Participation: Introduce crowdsourced error reporting through verified portals.
4. Data Integration: Extend linkage with Aadhaar, PAN, and DigiLocker for authentication.
5. Transparency Mechanism: Establish public dashboards for tracking deletion and addition records.
6. Legal Framework: Consider amending the RPA to provide statutory backing for digital roll management.

Conclusion

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR 2.0) symbolizes India’s move towards a digitally verifiable democracy, but its success depends on administrative accountability as much as on technology. Ensuring a clean, accurate, and dynamic electoral roll is not a technical formality, it is a democratic imperative. Only a transparent, error-free voter database can sustain public faith in India’s electoral integrity.

PYQ Relevance

[UPSC 2024] Examine the need for electoral reforms as suggested by various committees with particular reference to the “one nation-one election” principle.

Linkage: It addresses electoral reform as a structural and procedural issue under the Representation of the People Act (RPA, 1950), the same law governing the SIR initiative. It connects with the broader reform drive for efficient, error-free elections.

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