07/06/2026
SPECIAL INTENSIVE REVIEW: GROUND LEVEL CHALLENGES IN SIKKIM
PRESS RELEASE
Issued by
Komal Chamling
Vice President Cheli Morcha Incharge
Sikkim Democratic Front
Just days ago, a voter approached me with a Special Intensive Review (SIR) form that had been left at his home by a Booth Level Officer (BLO). He had received two identical forms with no instructions on how to fill them. He also shared a form filled by his relative in which several important sections had been left blank despite the information being available. This small interaction raised larger issues regarding the implementation of the SIR process in Sikkim.
The SIR is not a new exercise. It is conducted routinely to refine electoral rolls by including eligible voters and removing ineligible voters. The last major SIR was conducted in 2002, and hence the 2002 electoral roll is being taken as the baseline. The difference this time, however, is the unprecedented scale of the exercise and the inclusion of the categories “Absentee, Duplicate, Shifted, Deceased” voters. With the SIR process underway in Sikkim, its successful implementation is crucial to achieving the objectives of the exercise. Disenfranchisement due to procedural errors can deprive genuine voters in Sikkim of their democratic rights.
CHALLENGES OF IMPLEMENTATION
The house-to-house visits required of BLOs for the SIR commenced on 30 May 2026 and are to continue until 28 June 2026. There are 4,71,018 voters in the state who are to be covered during this exercise. In case BLOs are unable to meet voters during household visits to fill up enumeration forms, they are required to conduct at least three visits and paste a notice indicating that they have visited. However, conversations with Booth Level Agents (BLAs) have highlighted that such an exercise is virtually impossible given the scale of the task and the time frame provided.
BLAs have also expressed uncertainty about how to fill up the enumeration forms given the sole reliance on verbal instructions in the absence of a completed sample form. In some villages, the forms have been distributed to households without any instructions, with a time frame of ten days provided for completion. The forms are then submitted by voters, who fill them out to the best of their understanding.
There is also the issue of literacy and education. Not all voters will understand a form that is available only in English, and this itself can lead to errors while filling it out. In other states, the SIR forms have been made available in regional languages. In Sikkim, where a majority of the population is comfortable with Nepali, why have the SIR forms not been made available in Nepali? Doing so would reduce errors to some degree.
CHALLENGES FOR THE BLO
There are 605 BLOs in Sikkim who have been instructed to cover all 31 +1 constituencies in 30 days. On average, this amounts to 778.54 voters per BLO. On average, this means they must cover 25.95 voters per day. This does not take into account the fact that BLOs may not work every day and may also require weekly days off. Although BLOs have been instructed to follow specific procedures for the SIR, there remains ample room for error given the time frame, the scale of the exercise, and the lack of clear guidance provided to each voter.
Further, there is also the issue of the training of the BLOs themselves. Taking the example of Namchi District, the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) SIR Status Report as of 3 June 2026 showed that only 38.85% of the total BLOs had been trained so far—54 out of 139 BLOs. This status of training is worrying given that the enumeration process is well underway. Without adequately trained BLOs, questions about the integrity of the exercise naturally arise. There are also discrepancies in the average number of electors per BLO across constituencies. For example, Namthang Rateypani has an average of 721 electors per BLO, while in Rangang Yangang the average is 1,104 electors per BLO.
Then there are the geographical challenges faced by BLOs. In rural areas, households are often spread out, making house-to-house visits difficult. In a place like Sokpay, where reaching the last household may require a two-hour hike, significant logistical challenges arise. In a small state like Sikkim, where homes are often dispersed across a Panchayat ward, BLOs may face even greater difficulties in completing the exercise effectively.
VOTERS OUTSIDE SIKKIM
There are also many voters living outside the state, including students, members of the armed forces, and those who have migrated elsewhere for work. The Sangha constituency has its own set of unique challenges since many of the monks maybe meditating for months at a time either in Sikkim or outside the state. Failing to reach every voter creates the risk of genuine voters being excluded from the electoral roll.
Nationally, the SIR process has so far been completed in 14 states and Union Territories. According to an article published in The Wire, “From ‘Absent’ Voter to Suspected Citizen: The Human Cost of SIR”, a gap of more than 7 crore voters was reported between the projected voter population and the final number of voters included in electoral rolls following SIR exercises. Of these, nearly 5 crore voters were categorised as “Absentee, Shifted, Duplicate, Deceased” (ASDD) voters.
The same article noted that individuals who failed to submit their enumeration forms were, in some cases, categorised as absentee voters and had their names removed from the electoral roll. Even small mistakes such as spelling errors or data-entry mistakes can potentially lead to the disenfranchisement of genuine voters. This is especially concerning for voters who are living outside the state.
SDF’S REQUEST FOR EXTENSION
Taking all these issues into consideration, the SDF party submitted a letter to the ECI on 5 June 2026 outlining concerns regarding the implementation of the SIR process and requesting an extension of one month for the completion of the enumeration exercise. Given the scale and seriousness of the exercise, 30 days may not be sufficient to complete the process effectively, particularly in light of the geographical and logistical challenges involved.
Accuracy and inclusivity of genuine voters in the electoral roll must go hand in hand. Voters should not be removed from the electoral roll due to logistical shortcomings, procedural errors, or inadequate guidance on how to fill out the forms. In a state like Sikkim, where BLOs and BLAs face significant geographical challenges and where many voters live outside the state, priority should be given to training and accuracy rather than the completion of administrative timelines. Accordingly, the SDF party has requested the ECI to extend the timeline for the completion of the SIR exercise to ensure that no genuine voter in Sikkim is deprived of their democratic and constitutional right to vote.
