After SIR Notice, Ex Navy Chief Shares More Suggestions For Poll Body

Former Indian Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash (retired) has for a second time in as many days suggested the Election Commission (EC) should tweak the forms used in the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise to capture more information from people.

Admiral Prakash yesterday confirmed the EC asked him to attend a meeting where he would need to prove his identity, as part of the voter roll clean-up exercise being carried out in phases across the country.

Today, the former Indian Navy chief who was awarded the Vir Chakra during the 1971 War, added some more suggestions for the EC: better trained booth level officers (BLOs), letting people know about uploading documents on the EC website, and the situation with migrant labourers who are away from home due to which they are unable to bring documents.

"While I appreciate the outpouring of concern, my rank and service are not relevant and I am bound by EC rules like any other citizen. However, EC needs to consider: (a) revising SIR form to capture more information like 'occupation' and 'location at last SIR', etc," Admiral Prakash said in response to calls by people on social media asking the EC to send officials to his house, instead of the former Navy Chief being made to visit the EC.

"For EC, (b) Employ full time, fully trained youth as BLOs empowered to interact with citizens and vet documents (c) INFORM THE PUBLIC that there exists an option to upload documents on EC website (d) Do not forget the migrant labourer, away from home and unable to produce documents," the former navy chief who is an aviator by specialisation said in a post on X today.

Many people on social media criticised the EC over what they pointed out was a huge mistake. During Admiral Prakash's 40-year career, he commanded a carrier-borne fighter-squadron, a naval air station and four warships, including the aircraft-carrier INS Viraat.

Yesterday too, he politely declined to accept a suggestion on letting an EC official visit him, saying he does not want "special privileges."

"I neither need, nor have ever asked for any special privileges since retirement 20 years ago. My wife and I had filled the SIR forms as required and were pleased to see our names figured in the Goa Draft Electoral Roll 2026 on the EC website. We will, however, comply with EC notices," Admiral Prakash said on Sunday.

The EC said the form did not contain mandatory particulars linked to the previous SIR, including the name of the elector, EPIC number, name of relatives, name and number of the assembly constituency, etc.

In the absence of these essential identification details, the BLO application was unable to establish an automatic linkage between the submitted enumeration form and the existing electoral roll database, the EC said.

As per the standard, system-driven procedure, a hearing notice was automatically generated and issued to enable verification of the elector's details and ensure due opportunity for confirmation of eligibility, the EC said.

Admiral Prakash's tenure saw many initiatives in the fields of doctrine, strategy, transformation, and foreign maritime cooperation. After retirement, he served two terms as a member of the National Security Advisory Board and as chairman of the National Maritime Foundation.

The latest round and subsequent phases of the SIR exercise began in June 2025 ahead of the Bihar election. It aims to add the names of eligible citizens to the voter list and remove ineligible ones.

The EC has said multiple reasons, such as rapid urbanisation, frequent migration, young citizens becoming eligible to vote, non-reporting of deaths, and the inclusion of names of foreign illegal immigrants, have made this revision necessary.

BLOs are conducting house-to-house surveys to verify voters by reviewing documents.