Syllabus: Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability, e-governance.
Core Problem with Special Intensive Revision (SIR)
- The current SIR is built on legacy electoral rolls (2002–04) created through manual, error-prone processes.
- These outdated paper rolls lack accuracy, structure, and verifiability, weakening voter inclusion and electoral credibility.
- Despite India’s digital advancements and EC’s robust ECINet system, the SIR relies on non-searchable, inconsistent paper records, undermining integrity.
Flaws in the Legacy Electoral Rolls
- Past revisions focused mainly on routine deletions and basic additions, not data rectification.
- Records show incomplete names, spelling variations, missing EPIC numbers, absent house numbers, and inconsistent formats.
- Random checks reveal anomalies such as duplicated spousal names and ambiguous identity entries.
- The rolls exist only on paper, making verification and error correction impossible for a database exceeding 600 million entries.
- EC’s search interface for legacy records is largely unusable, often returning errors or no results.
Underutilisation of ECINet
- ECINet supports mobile/EPIC number-based search, duplicate detection, Aadhaar linking, constituency mapping, complaint tracking, and seamless online EF submission.
- Yet, legacy rolls are not digitised or integrated into ECINet, creating a parallel, inefficient workflow.
- Citizens are unrealistically expected to recall booth, part, and serial numbers from 2002–04, despite no archival records.
Limitations in Ground-Level Processes
- BLOs primarily distribute and collect paper EFs; many lack data-entry expertise.
- Paper processes create a digital → paper → digital loop, doubling workload and increasing errors.
- Significant states (e.g., Uttar Pradesh) have over half of EFs still undigitised.
- Paper forms require paid photographs and manual verification, burdening poor voters.
Why Full Digitisation is Essential
- Online EF submission via ECINet ensures accuracy, Aadhaar-based verification, and transparency.
- Minor mismatches caused by legacy errors could be corrected through Form 8, but bureaucratic approvals are rare.
- Deleted voters are forced into false first-time voter declarations, revealing structural loopholes.
- Mobile digital kiosks could assist non-tech-savvy users, removing dependence on paper forms.
Proposed Fully Digital Workflow for SIR 2026
- Digitise all legacy rolls, making them completely searchable with English metadata and regional-language text support.
- Integrate datasets using Aadhaar, PAN, DL, and municipal records through secure APIs.
- Categorise voters into: stable residents, frequent movers, and those with citizenship/immigration complexities.
- Shift all EF submission, documentation, verification, and approvals to paperless online processes.
- Deploy trained digital facilitators while EC officials handle on-ground verification.
Conclusion
- Digitisation is not optional; it is essential for restoring trust, transparency, and accuracy in electoral rolls.
- SIR 2026 must evolve into a technology-driven, verifiable, citizen-friendly national exercise, eliminating long-standing data flaws and procedural confusion.