DELHI: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Saturday said the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise has made electoral rolls more accurate and reliable by removing ineligible entries, while asserting that India's electoral system remains among the most transparent and credible in the world.
Addressing an interaction with booth-level officers (BLOs), Kumar said the Election Commission of India is focusing on ensuring voter services reach the elderly, persons with disabilities, migrant workers, illiterate citizens and other disadvantaged communities so that no eligible citizen is deprived of the right to vote.
"It is also being ensured that no ineligible citizen's name is included in the voter list. To this end, the SIR campaign was successfully conducted. Under the SIR process, voter lists have been made more accurate and reliable by identifying absentee, deceased, transferred, duplicate, and ineligible voters," he said.
The purification of the electoral roll through SIR is the constitutional obligation of the Election Commission in accordance with Article 326 of the Constitution, Kumar added.
"India's electoral system is one of the most transparent and credible in the world. Due to these strengths, India currently holds the Chair of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA)," he pointed out.
International IDEA is an intergovernmental organization of 35 leading democratic countries that supports democracy worldwide.
The Chief Election Commissioner said that despite voluntary voting in India, voter turnout remains higher than in many countries with compulsory voting, "which is a testimony to the public's faith in Indian democracy."
Empowered voters are the foundation of a strong democracy, he stressed.
He described BLOs as "true sentinels of democracy" and praised their role in the electoral process. BLOs, who work in difficult conditions in remote tribal areas and forested regions, deserve special appreciation, Kumar said.
Praising the work done under SIR in Madhya Pradesh, he said the state has set an ideal example for the entire country by conducting this process in an excellent, transparent, and systematic manner.
Kumar said, "The efficiency and transparency with which the SIR has been carried out in Madhya Pradesh is rare in other states of the country."
State Chief Electoral Officer Sanjeev Kumar Jha was also present at the event.
(With inputs from PTI)