SIR after Bihar: What changed for BLOs, electors

The new form asks electors to provide details of themselves or any adult relative in the last intensive revision roll of their state, but BLOs have been instructed not to collect documents at this stage. Instead, they must physically search the last intensive revision rolls (from any state or UT) to trace electors or their relatives and write the corresponding serial number on the form.

Though BLOs in Bihar were also tasked with searching the 2003 rolls to match the electors, the difference in SIR 2 is that the matching is required for a greater number of electors as all electors or their parents, aunts, uncles or grandparents needed to be traced to the old rolls.

This makes the first phase lighter for electors, but increases workload for BLOs. And if the section – with details of the elector or her family members on the last intensive role – is left blank, they will get notices after the draft roll is published on December 9, when documents will be sought.

What has also changed this time is the speed and scale of action against BLOs for any dereliction of duty. In the entire three-month Bihar SIR, EC sources say, 39 BLOs were suspended and 42 FIRs filed. In just the past week in Uttar Pradesh, that count has already been exceeded — including 60 FIRs in Noida alone — though EC officials maintain they have issued no specific instructions to states to initiate FIRs.

The EC had ordered a nationwide SIR on June 24, with Bihar going first because of its upcoming polls. After Bihar published its final roll on September 30 — showing a 6% drop in electors — the Commission rolled out the exercise for the 12 states/UTs, with the enumeration phase from November 4 to December 4.

It is in this phase that reports of BLO deaths, including at least five suicides, have surfaced (at least one in West Bengal, another in Rajasthan) with notes pointing to pressure linked to the SIR work.