SIR: Over 1.15 lakh hearings completed in Sikkim, 12,929 electors found ineligible

GANGTOK, : Over 1.15 lakh hearings under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls have been completed in Sikkim, with 12,929 electors found ineligible for final inclusion, Chief Electoral Officer Raj Kumar Yadav said on Friday.

Of the 1,15,748 hearings completed so far, 55,669 electors have been found eligible, while 17,177 cases are under document verification, Yadav said while sharing the latest status of the revision exercise.

Around 4.72 lakh electors were covered under the SIR exercise, during which Enumeration Forms were distributed and collected through Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in a door-to-door exercise. As many as 37,724 forms remained uncollected, he said.

The CEO said 1,20,424 notices had been delivered so far, while the remaining notices were in the process of being served.

The hearings are expected to be completed by August 16-17, following which re-hearings, scrutiny of Form 6 applications, processing of Form 7 and disposal of pending appeals will continue till September 2, Yadav said.

Four Assembly constituencies, viz.Temi-Namphing, Upper Tadong, Gangtok and KabiLungchok, have completed 100 per cent of their hearings. Yadav said concerned EROs and AROs have been advised to expedite the pending casesin the remaining constituencies.

Yadav further said that 1,460 Form 6 claims had been received in connection with uncollected Enumeration Forms. These applications are being scrutinised against the prescribed documents and eligibility criteria, he added.

At the district level, 57 first appeals have been received, of which 55 are pending. The CEO urged electors and other stakeholders with grievances concerning the electoral roll to use the prescribed appeal mechanism within the stipulated timelines.

The hearings under the SIR process are being documented through video recording and photography to ensure transparency and proper record-keeping, he said.

According to the schedule announced by the CEO, preparation for final publication of the electoral roll will be undertaken from September 3 to 5, with the Final Electoral Roll scheduled to be published on September 6.

A meeting with representatives of political parties and a press conference to announce the final electoral figures will be held on September 7, Yadav said.

He clarified that the electoral roll will remain open for continuous updation after final publication, allowing eligible citizens to submit the prescribed forms for inclusion, deletion or correction.

The CEO expressed appreciation to BLOs, AEROs, EROs and other officials involved in the SIR exercise. “Outstanding officials will be identified for recognition, with the best-performing BLOs, AEROs and EROs proposed to be felicitated on National Voters’ Day on January 25, 2027,” Yadav added.