Published Sep 26, 2026 | 6:47 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 26, 2026 | 6:49 PM
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar flanked by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu (L) and Vivek Joshi.
Synopsis: The poll panel said it has already made various portal upgrades based on input from State CEOs over the past few months. If field officers require further flexibility, it will be made operational. Henceforth, all new initiatives about IT modules and portals will be discussed in the Committee of Officers (COO) before approval by the Commission.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) said on Saturday, 26 September, that people who have received notices during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) need not appear personally before Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), except in exceptional cases.
The Commission made the decision at a meeting amid controversy sparked by The Indian Express, which flagged a rift within the ECI. The meeting also sought to address some of the issues raised in the news report.
The ECI said in a statement on Saturday that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will visit the homes and collect documents from those issued notices.
The collected documents would be uploaded onto the ECINet system. The respective EROs would then decide.
“Such persons need not be called for a hearing at the ERO/AERO office. Only in exceptional circumstances, as decided by the ERO, will the hearing be held, preferably online. Any adult member of the family can be authorised by the elector to attend the hearing on their behalf, if required. Facilities for the online hearing will be strengthened,” the statement said.
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The ECI directed the District Election Officers (DEOs) to set up adequate help desks and hold special camps for people experiencing poverty and the homeless.
The statement further said the Supreme Court had upheld the declaration attached to Form 6. Forms, as per the rules (the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960), will be used for the non-SIR period.
Field officers have role-based access to the ECINet system as per their statutory powers. A Committee headed by the Senior Deputy Election Commissioner (DEC) and including an independent expert from IIT/IIIT will review the ECINET to double-check compliance with the provisions of the Acts and Rules and submit a report to the Commission.
“Various upgradations of the portal have already been made based on inputs from State CEOs in the past few months. If field officers require further flexibility, it will be made operational. Henceforth, all new initiatives about IT modules and portals will be discussed in the Committee of Officers (COO) before approval by the Commission,” the poll panel said.
The ECI also extended the dates for claims and objections in Delhi and Maharashtra to 30 October and 12 November, respectively. The period to dispose of notices, claims, and objections in Delhi has been extended until 30 November, while in Maharashtra, it has been extended until 10 November.
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The statement also said the commission will circulate the agenda for all meetings in advance and issue the minutes. The commission will complete the Annual Performance Appraisal Reports of all officers within the stipulated time frame of 31 December.
It further said that SIR has been completed in 20 states.UTs including Bihar and West Bengal. “Any person whose name has been left out during SIR or thereafter, and any person including young/fist-time voter, may apply to the ERO concerned for inclusion of their names in the electoral rolls under the process of continuous updation.”
The Commission reiterated that the letter to the Cabinet Secretary was not related to any policy matter of the Commission or the IT division, but related to the work of an officer on deputation to the ECI.
“The work re-distribution orders issued by the concerned officer were not actually implemented after the orders of the two Commissioners, and the oversight over the IT division by the DEC was never actually withdrawn,” the statement said.
It further stated that the press note was issued “as per the decision of the meeting of the Commission held on 26.09.2026 and has the approval of the full Commission.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
