After protracted and gloomy fights over alleged exclusion of citizens from India's list of electors, following the special intensive revision (SIR), there is some sunshine. The change in weather is most evident in ordering of the special summary revision (SSR) by Election Commission of India (ECI).
The Commission has ordered the SSR in 17 states with reference to January 1, 2027, including Assam and the five poll-bound states. Final rolls are scheduled for publication in first week of January, just ahead of National Voters' Day, which has come to symbolise voter participation in democracy. The announcement that remaining states will undergo the SSR once they fully close SIR process provides assurance that this annual revision under Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act will have a normal run, albeit with varied scheduling. The SSR involves updating the electoral roll by adding new voters and deleting those who cease to exist; no ab-initio construction of a draft roll, no enumeration and no demand for eligibility document. However, questions remain about the SSR skip last year.
