DETAILS TO BE ANNOUNCED TODAY; PHASE-I TO COVER POLL-BOUND STATES INCLUDING ASSAM
The Election Commission (EC) of India will hold a press conference on Monday, at 4:15 PM to unveil the schedule for a pan-India Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, officials confirmed. While complete details are yet to be released, the first phase of the SIR is expected to cover 10 to 15 states, including those going to Assembly polls in 2026.
According to sources, the initial phase of the SIR will prioritise states preparing for next year’s Assembly elections, including Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry. “The EC will defer revisions in states where local body elections are ongoing or imminent, as poll machinery is fully engaged,” officials said.
Bihar, which recently completed its voter list update, has published the final list containing nearly 7.42 crore voters as of September 30. The state will hold Assembly elections in two phases on November 6 and 11, with counting scheduled for November 14. EC has already conducted two meetings with state Chief Electoral Officers to finalise the SIR rollout. Several states have made voter lists from prior revisions available online. For instance, Delhi’s last SIR was in 2008, while Uttarakhand’s dates back to 2006. Most states conducted their previous SIRs between 2002 and 2004, providing baseline data for the current mapping of electors against historical records.
A key goal of the SIR is to verify voters’ places of birth and identify illegal foreign migrants from electoral rolls. The exercise has gained urgency amid ongoing crackdowns in several states against undocumented migrants, including those from Bangladesh and Myanmar.
The upcoming SIR represents the EC’s largest voter verification effort in recent years. By revising rolls in phases and focusing first on poll-bound states, the commission aims to ensure accurate electoral rolls ahead of key elections. The press briefing on October 27 is expected to provide the detailed schedule and state-wise rollout plan.
The Opposition had alleged that it was aimed at mass disenfranchisement, particularly of poor and minority communities who might support them. Producing data from several areas, Congress’s Rahul Gandhi had alleged a collusion between the Commission and the BJP to deliver a massive mandate to the ruling party. The Opposition alleged that the SIR was a version of this.