The Election Commission of India (ECI) is preparing to launch a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) across the country, under which voters in Hyderabad and other districts will be required to produce documents. On September 10, a crucial meeting of all state Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) will take place in Delhi to discuss cleaning up the voter list and removing fake or incorrect entries. The major challenge, however, is that many individuals — especially those born in the 20th century — do not possess birth certificates. To address this, the ECI has released a list of 11 acceptable documents that can establish both date and place of birth.

Under the SIR, voters fall into three different categories with varying document requirements. Those born before July 1, 1987, must produce one valid document of their own. Individuals born between July 1, 1987, and December 2, 2004, need to provide one document of their own along with one document from either parent. For those born after December 2, 2004, submission of their own document along with both parents’ documents is mandatory. The ECI has also clarified that Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, or voter IDs alone do not prove citizenship; instead, under the Citizenship Act of 1955, birth details and parental records are the core basis for determining nationality.

This new process is particularly significant for Hyderabad, where many residents lack proper proof of birth details. That is why documents such as passports, school certificates, residence certificates, caste certificates, or government-issued land/house allotment papers have been included as alternatives. Legal experts point out that this time voter verification will be conducted with strict scrutiny, and citizens must prepare in advance. If rolled out nationwide, this will become the largest voter verification exercise in India’s history.