On Aug 28, Maharashtra’s Chief Electoral Officer S Chockalingam sent a formal request to the Election Commission asking it to add four new powers to its ECINet software for Electoral Registration Officers during the state’s Special Intensive Revision.
The draft roll, released on Aug 31, trimmed 21 % of the state’s voters, a move that has already sparked heated debate among politicians and civil‑society groups. The final roll is slated for Nov 16, after a 45‑day notice period that allows officials to flag and resolve inconsistencies.
The CEO’s proposals include letting EROs decide when to hold hearings, evaluate supporting documents, and resolve certain cases independently, thereby shortening the review cycle. He also wants the system to accept alternative documents for marginalized groups, and to drop the mandatory upload of an extract from the previous SIR when discrepancies are already flagged.
The Election Commission has approved one of the requested changes, granting EROs the authority to waive personal hearings in qualifying cases. The remaining three modifications will be considered in the coming weeks, with the Commission expected to issue detailed guidance before the Nov 16 roll‑release deadline.
Meanwhile, the move follows earlier concerns raised by Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi about the limited discretion afforded to EROs, and comes at a time of heightened scrutiny over the SIR process in Maharashtra.