- The Election Commission of India (ECI) is one of the most admired, recognized, applauded, renowned, and trustworthy statutory institutions in India is stating the obvious. The way ECI has conducted numerous elections freely, fairly, and peacefully, much to the amazement of the countrymen and the global community, needs no reiteration. Mind you, conducting an election like the Lok Sabha polls or, for that matter, state assembly polls is a cumbersome task with monumental logistical arrangements in place based on meticulous planning. This is where the ECI, time and again, has consistently demonstrated the highest professionalism in conducting numerous elections over the decades with absolute panache.
PC: Times of India
- However, the ECI finds itself in the eye of a storm for undertaking the special intensive revision (SIR) in Bihar just months before the state assembly polls. Learning from the Bihar lessons, the ECI must allow states their own timelines for SIR. Time is of the essence for robust voter polls. As such, the ECI should heed the Maharashtra election commission’s request to defer the redoing of state electoral rolls till local polls – long delayed – are over after January 2026. When ECI announced SIR for Bihar in June, heading into state polls in November as scheduled, the exercise was destined to be a rushed and confusing affair. And it was, abundantly as we know. The opposition political parties simply went hammer and tongs against the ECI, accusing it of everything under the sun.
PC: The Hindu
- Had ECI announced the exercise for Maharashtra instead at the time, the state EC would have had enough time on hand for the exercise before the local polls. Its state elections had concluded months ago. Since polls to urban local bodies and panchayats have separate electoral rolls under the sole jurisdiction of SECs, there would be no confusion. Voters and administration would have time to upload documents, weed out extras, de-duplicate, spot problem additions, and troubling deletions. Ensuring healthy and fair participation and trust of a resident population in a robust electoral cycle takes time. The final voter rolls per ECI in Bihar have left much to be desired. With elections upon them, no political party, no matter its reach, will wade into nitty-gritties. Why?
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PC: LawBeat
- Every political party will be busy with other election-related matters like the selection of candidates, filing nominations, poll strategies, forming alliances, and campaigning. Where is the time to get into verifying who got unfairly left out or added? Of course, the case is in the SC. What is of concern at this point is what timelines will ECI allow all other states? At their convenience? No two states are similar when it comes to an exercise tech-driven, document-heavy approach for diverse demographics and all manner of geographies. An SIR would really be efficient only after the Census, even after delimitation. Also, the question of whether it is for ECI to decide on citizenship is in the SC. Until that is settled, the matter of nationwide electoral rolls needing urgent revision is, for all practical purposes, moot. Period.
 of electoral rolls in Bihar just months before state assembly elections, creating confusion and drawing opposition backlash. The article argues that ECI should grant states flexible timelines for electoral roll revision based on their individual circumstances, particularly deferring Maharashtra's revision until after local body elections conclude in 2026.){kind=link}