The Election Commission of India has asked Chief Electoral Officers across multiple states and Union Territories to gear up for the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which is likely to begin in April 2026.
In a recent communication, the poll panel directed officials to complete all preparatory work at the earliest to ensure a smooth rollout of the large-scale exercise aimed at updating voter lists.
States, UTs Identified for SIR
The SIR is expected to commence in 22 states and Union Territories, including:
Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Ladakh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, National Capital Territory of Delhi, Odisha, Punjab, Sikkim, Tripura, Telangana, and Uttarakhand.
Officials have been instructed to put in place all logistical and administrative arrangements well in advance.
Phase Two After Last Year’s Exercise
In October last year, the Commission had announced phase two of the SIR in 12 states and UTs. The exercise was conducted in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
The Special Intensive Revision is undertaken periodically to ensure electoral rolls remain accurate and up to date by removing ineligible entries and adding eligible voters.
First SIR in Over Two Decades
According to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the last nationwide SIR was conducted between 2001 and 2004 — over two decades ago. He noted that issues such as migration, duplicate voter ID cards, non-removal of deceased voters and wrongful inclusion of foreign nationals have accumulated over the years.
He also pointed out that since 1951, the SIR exercise has been carried out eight times, and the Commission has now decided to conduct it in a phased manner across the country.
How the Process Will Work
The revision will begin with a pre-enumeration phase. In the identified states and UTs, existing voter lists will be frozen for the duration of the exercise.
Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) will generate unique, largely pre-filled enumeration forms for every registered voter. These forms will contain details such as name, polling booth, constituency and existing photograph.
Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will visit each household three times to carry out the enumeration. Their responsibilities will include:
Distributing enumeration forms to existing voters
Assisting electors in verifying and linking their details with records from the previous SIR (2002–2004)
Collecting Form 6 applications and declarations from new voters seeking inclusion
Submitting completed forms to the EROs
The Commission will also deploy volunteers to assist vulnerable groups, including senior citizens, persons with disabilities, economically weaker sections and other at-risk individuals, to ensure they are not inconvenienced during the process.
After verification, EROs and Assistant EROs (AEROs) will prepare draft rolls incorporating names for which valid enumeration forms are received. Notices will be issued to individuals whose records cannot be matched with previous SIR data.
Final decisions on inclusion or exclusion will be taken after hearings on disputed or unmatched cases, following which the updated electoral rolls will be published.
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