Goa, July 13 -- The Election Commission of India (ECI) is preparing to roll out a nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, mirroring the model currently underway in Bihar. This follows a recent Supreme Court endorsement of the SIR as a "constitutional mandate," allowing the process to proceed despite opposition from political parties and civil society groups, who argue it may risk disenfranchising genuine voters.

The Supreme Court's ruling affirmed the ECI's constitutional authority to undertake SIRs to maintain updated and accurate electoral rolls. The Court advised the Commission to consider widely accepted identity documents-such as Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration cards-for voter verification, while ultimately lea...