UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Activists question impartiality of SIR, electoral process
Q1. With reference to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls carried out by the Election Commission of India, consider the following features:
1. Door-to-door distribution of enumeration forms by Booth Level Officers.
2. Publication of a draft electoral roll followed by a period for claims and objections.
3. Exemption of voters already listed in the baseline (2003) intensive-revision roll from submitting documentary proof.
4. Automatic acceptance of Aadhaar as conclusive proof of citizenship for every applicant.
Which of the above is/are correctly identified as features of the SIR?
- Door-to-door distribution of enumeration forms by Booth Level Officers.
- Publication of a draft electoral roll followed by a period for claims and objections.
- Exemption of voters already listed in the baseline (2003) intensive-revision roll from submitting documentary proof.
- Automatic acceptance of Aadhaar as conclusive proof of citizenship for every applicant.
- A. 1, 2 and 3
- B. 1 and 4 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2, 3 and 4
Q2. The Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls notified for Bihar in 2025 was the first such intensive revision in the State with reference to which earlier year's exercise as its baseline?
- A. 2003
- B. 2008
- C. 2011
- D. 2019
Q3. In the context of electoral roll management, the term 'Special Intensive Revision' most precisely refers to which one of the following?
- A. A house-to-house re-verification of the entire electorate in which listed electors are re-enumerated and, where required, must furnish documentary proof, leading to a freshly prepared roll
- B. The routine addition of newly eligible 18-year-olds on the four statutory qualifying dates each year without field verification
- C. The correction of only clerical and typographical errors in an existing roll on a continuous basis
- D. The redrawing of constituency boundaries and reallocation of electors following a delimitation exercise
Q4. Under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the preparation and revision of the electoral roll for each assembly constituency is the statutory responsibility of which one of the following officers?
- A. Electoral Registration Officer
- B. Returning Officer
- C. District Election Officer
- D. Chief Electoral Officer
Q5. Ahead of which one of the following 2025 State Assembly elections did the Election Commission of India first roll out the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls?
- A. Bihar
- B. West Bengal
- C. Tamil Nadu
- D. Kerala
Q6. With reference to the Bihar Special Intensive Revision, 2025, consider the following statements:
1. The revision was notified by the ECI on 24 June 2025.
2. Voters already enrolled in the 2003 intensive-revision roll were exempt from submitting documentary proof.
3. Aadhaar, the voter ID (EPIC) and the ration card were part of the original set of 11 prescribed documents.
4. On completion, the exercise reduced Bihar's electors from about 7.89 crore to about 7.42 crore.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?
- The revision was notified by the ECI on 24 June 2025.
- Voters already enrolled in the 2003 intensive-revision roll were exempt from submitting documentary proof.
- Aadhaar, the voter ID (EPIC) and the ration card were part of the original set of 11 prescribed documents.
- On completion, the exercise reduced Bihar's electors from about 7.89 crore to about 7.42 crore.
- A. 3 only
- B. 1 and 3
- C. 3 and 4
- D. 2 only
Q7. With reference to the litigation on the Special Intensive Revision before the Supreme Court, consider the following statements:
1. The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) was among the petitioners.
2. The National Federation for Indian Women was among the co-petitioners.
3. The petitioners alleged that the SIR enabled arbitrary deletion and risked disenfranchising lakhs of voters.
4. The Court struck down the SIR as violative of Article 324.
Which of the above is/are NOT correct?
- The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) was among the petitioners.
- The National Federation for Indian Women was among the co-petitioners.
- The petitioners alleged that the SIR enabled arbitrary deletion and risked disenfranchising lakhs of voters.
- The Court struck down the SIR as violative of Article 324.
- A. 4 only
- B. 1 and 4
- C. 2 and 3
- D. 3 only
Q8. In upholding the SIR, the Supreme Court linked it to the Election Commission's power of superintendence, direction and control over the preparation of electoral rolls. This plenary power flows from which one of the following provisions of the Constitution?
- A. Article 324
- B. Article 326
- C. Article 329
- D. Article 243K
Q9. In the West Bengal SIR draft electoral rolls published in December 2025, which category of areas recorded the largest voter deletions?
- A. Urban Bengal
- B. Border districts
- C. Tribal-belt blocks
- D. Coastal blocks
Q10. Comparing the West Bengal SIR with the earlier Bihar SIR, consider the following statements:
1. Unlike the Bihar draft rolls, the West Bengal draft rolls were published in December 2025.
2. The West Bengal SIR draft deleted a larger absolute number of names than the deletions in Bihar's final SIR roll.
3. In both States, without exception, every elector was required to submit documentary proof irrespective of presence in the earlier baseline roll.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
- Unlike the Bihar draft rolls, the West Bengal draft rolls were published in December 2025.
- The West Bengal SIR draft deleted a larger absolute number of names than the deletions in Bihar's final SIR roll.
- In both States, without exception, every elector was required to submit documentary proof irrespective of presence in the earlier baseline roll.
- A. 1 and 2 only
- B. 1 and 3 only
- C. 2 and 3 only
- D. 1, 2 and 3
Q11. Under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, an appeal against an order of the Electoral Registration Officer refusing inclusion of a name lies, in the first instance, to which authority?
- A. The District Magistrate (or an officer of equivalent rank)
- B. The Chief Electoral Officer of the State
- C. The Election Commission of India
- D. The jurisdictional civil court
Q12. The High-Level Committee on Simultaneous Elections, whose report underpins the current 'One Nation, One Election' constitutional amendment moves, was chaired by which one of the following?
- A. Ram Nath Kovind
- B. Rajiv Kumar
- C. N. Gopalaswami
- D. Sushil Chandra