The Election Commission (EC) is set to announce a nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in early November, starting with states gearing up for 2026 elections and select others. Following a meeting with chief electoral officers (CEOs) on Wednesday to assess preparations, the official announcement is expected soon.
A notification for the nationwide SIR in most states and union territories is imminent, with details likely to be finalized next week. The revision process may be divided into two phases: one for regular states and another for challenging regions like Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and parts of the Northeast, where harsh weather conditions could impact field operations.
Key states in the revision priority list include West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry. The EC plans to allocate a standard three-month period for the entire process, spanning form submissions, draft list issuance, claims and objections filing, appeals, leading to the publication of final voter rolls by early February.
Senior officials have disclosed that CEOs from all states have engaged in extensive discussions and preparatory meetings with the Election Commission in Delhi. The nationwide SIR announcement is anticipated within the next few days following the conclusion of the conference on Thursday.
This initiative comes after a voter list cleanup in Bihar before the Assembly elections, resulting in a final electoral roll published on September 30 with approximately 7.42 crore names, a decrease from the pre-revision count of 7.89 crore. The draft list issued on August 1 saw the removal of 65 lakh voters due to various reasons, with 21.53 lakh new electors added and 3.66 lakh names eliminated.
The Supreme Court, on October 7, sought clarification from the EC regarding the exclusion of 3.66 lakh voters from the final electoral roll, citing concerns over the removal process. Opposition parties have criticized the SIR drive, claiming that numerous legitimate voters are being removed without proper verification.
The Bihar Assembly elections are scheduled in two phases, with 121 seats voting on November 6 and the remaining 122 constituencies on November 11, followed by vote counting on November 14.
The nationwide SIR, initially mandated by the EC on June 24, mandates all registered electors to complete enumeration forms to remain on the rolls. Individuals registered post-2003, the year of Bihar’s last intensive revision, must provide documents to validate their birth date and/or place to confirm their eligibility and citizenship.
The process involves form submission, draft list publication, claims and objections filing, appeals, culminating in the publication of the final voter rolls, expected by February next year.