High number of SIR notices result of rule change after Bihar experience

NEW DELHI: The large number of notices served to electors under the special intensive revision (SIR) largely stem from a key change made to SIR instructions by the Election Commission, based on its experience during SIR Phase I in Bihar. During SIR in Bihar, the rules required electors to attach documents proving their eligibility to be included in the roll — over a dozen documents were listed as acceptable proof of birth, citizenship and residence — at the enumeration stage itself. However following the uproar over the inconvenience caused to electors who may not have had these documents and thus faced exclusion, the EC revised the rules in Phase 2 covering 12 states/UTs, doing away with the requirement to submit documents with the enumeration form (EF) and instead decided to map the electors with the electoral roll from last SIR.