SIR notice received? ECI changes hearing rules; BLO may now visit your home

If you have received a notice during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls over an unmapped entry or a logical discrepancy, you may no longer need to visit the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) office in most cases.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has changed the process, allowing Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to visit the voter’s home to collect documents.

According to an ECI press note issued on September 26, 2026, people who have been issued notices during SIR for being unmapped or having logical discrepancies will be visited by BLOs at their homes.

The BLOs will collect the required documents and upload them on the ECINet system. The documents will then be considered by the ERO for a decision.

This means such voters will generally not have to be called to the ERO or Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) office for a hearing.

When will a hearing be required?

The ECI said a hearing will take place only in exceptional circumstances, as decided by the ERO.

Even in such cases, the Commission has said the hearing should preferably be conducted online. The ECI has also directed that facilities for online hearings be strengthened.

There is another provision for voters who may be unable to attend personally. An adult member of the family can be authorised by the elector to attend the hearing on their behalf, if a hearing is required.

What does this mean for voters?

For a voter who receives an SIR notice, the revised process could reduce the need for repeated visits to election offices. Instead, the first step will generally involve the BLO collecting documents at the voter’s residence.

The ERO will then examine the documents uploaded through ECINet. The ECI has not stated in the press note that every notice will result in a home visit; the provision specifically applies to people issued notices for being unmapped or having logical discrepancies.

Special camps for vulnerable groups

The Commission has also directed District Election Officers (DEOs) to establish adequate help desks and hold special camps, depending on requirements, for people living in night shelters, labourers, poor people and homeless citizens.

The move is intended to facilitate participation in the electoral-roll revision process among people who may face difficulties accessing regular election offices.

Names left out can still be added

The ECI has further clarified that people whose names were left out during SIR or thereafter can apply to the concerned ERO for inclusion through the continuous updation process.

This also applies to eligible young and first-time voters. CEOs, DEOs and EROs have been directed to immediately launch a special drive to enrol such voters.

The ECI said SIR has already been completed in 20 States and Union Territories, including Bihar and West Bengal. The final number of electors will be known after final publication in the remaining 12 states covered under Phase III.