SIR woes: Election Commission adds 'Mark VIP' option in BLO App to track high-profile voters
The strategic move assumes critical significance after Delhi CM Rekha Gupta, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, former CM Arvind Kejriwal, former Deputy PM LK Advani, and Election Commissioner SS Sandhu were served logical discrepancy notices during the Delhi drive.
- Sep 25, 2026,
- Updated Sep 25, 2026 12:54 PM IST
Amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across 16 states and three Union territories, the Election Commission of India (ECI) introduced a new module called "Mark VIP" into the specialized mobile application utilised by booth level officers (BLOs), as reported by Hindustan Times.
The digital update was logged on the Apple App Store on July 31 with the descriptor "mark VIP elector related changes," while the feature went live on July 30, as per the report.
The strategic move assumes critical significance after several prominent names — including Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, and Election Commissioner SS Sandhu — were served logical discrepancy notices during the Delhi drive.
An official in the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office confirmed that local authorities cannot alter the software directly, noting, "The CEO office cannot make any changes to the apps or the software. Orders come directly from the commission," as reported by Hindustan Times.
What the ‘Mark VIP’ feature does
The ‘Mark VIP’ feature serves as a digital tagging and workflow tracking mechanism within the BLO App:
Digital Flagging: During house-to-house verification visits, BLOs can digitally tag an elector as a VIP, which marks their profile with an asterisk in the electoral database.
Multi-Tier Vetting: Once tagged, the recommendation is routed digitally for review up the chain of authority — first vetted by the Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) and Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), and subsequently by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Delhi.
Automatic Roll Inclusion: Tagging ensures that high-profile individuals — including MPs, MLAs, constitutional officeholders, judges, civil servants, and prominent figures in arts, sports, and journalism — are automatically added to the draft electoral rolls, regardless of whether they have filled out enumeration forms.
Priority Processing & Hearing Exemption: The feature prioritises the processing of VIP forms to prevent accidental omissions and spares tagged individuals from physically visiting hearing centers when discrepancy notices or claims are filed, providing structured facilitation instead.
While provisions to identify VIP voters have existed in the ECI manual since 2018, integrating the designated tag directly into the digital BLO App changes operational processing on the ground, as reported by Hindustan Times.
Under existing framework regulations, being flagged as a VIP elector does not confer immunity from claim and objection proceedings. The designation primarily streamlines administrative workflows and prevents technical deletions while facilitating necessary document verification.
Amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across 16 states and three Union territories, the Election Commission of India (ECI) introduced a new module called "Mark VIP" into the specialized mobile application utilised by booth level officers (BLOs), as reported by Hindustan Times.
The digital update was logged on the Apple App Store on July 31 with the descriptor "mark VIP elector related changes," while the feature went live on July 30, as per the report.
The strategic move assumes critical significance after several prominent names — including Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, and Election Commissioner SS Sandhu — were served logical discrepancy notices during the Delhi drive.
An official in the Delhi Chief Electoral Officer's (CEO) office confirmed that local authorities cannot alter the software directly, noting, "The CEO office cannot make any changes to the apps or the software. Orders come directly from the commission," as reported by Hindustan Times.
What the ‘Mark VIP’ feature does
The ‘Mark VIP’ feature serves as a digital tagging and workflow tracking mechanism within the BLO App:
Digital Flagging: During house-to-house verification visits, BLOs can digitally tag an elector as a VIP, which marks their profile with an asterisk in the electoral database.
Multi-Tier Vetting: Once tagged, the recommendation is routed digitally for review up the chain of authority — first vetted by the Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) and Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), and subsequently by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer, Delhi.
Automatic Roll Inclusion: Tagging ensures that high-profile individuals — including MPs, MLAs, constitutional officeholders, judges, civil servants, and prominent figures in arts, sports, and journalism — are automatically added to the draft electoral rolls, regardless of whether they have filled out enumeration forms.
Priority Processing & Hearing Exemption: The feature prioritises the processing of VIP forms to prevent accidental omissions and spares tagged individuals from physically visiting hearing centers when discrepancy notices or claims are filed, providing structured facilitation instead.
While provisions to identify VIP voters have existed in the ECI manual since 2018, integrating the designated tag directly into the digital BLO App changes operational processing on the ground, as reported by Hindustan Times.
Under existing framework regulations, being flagged as a VIP elector does not confer immunity from claim and objection proceedings. The designation primarily streamlines administrative workflows and prevents technical deletions while facilitating necessary document verification.