The first phase will cover six states—UP, Gujarat, MP, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Rajasthan—and three UTs.
New Delhi
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday announced that the first phase of the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls will begin on Tuesday, covering 12 states and Union Territories, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and West Bengal. The exercise aims to ensure that no eligible voter is left out and no ineligible name remains on the rolls.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said the voter lists of all states and Union Territories included in this phase would be frozen at midnight on Monday. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will then distribute Unique Enumeration Forms to voters, allowing them to verify details and cross-check their names against the 2003 voter list. Individuals whose names—or whose parents’ names—appear on the 2003 rolls will not be required to submit additional documents.
“The first phase of SIR will cover 51 crore voters,” Kumar said at a press conference. The house-to-house enumeration will be held from November 4 to December 4, followed by the publication of draft electoral rolls on December 9. The final electoral rolls will be released on February 7, 2026.
States covered in this phase include Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan, along with the Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry.
Kumar dismissed reports of a rift with the West Bengal government, stating that the Commission was performing its constitutional duty. The CEC also clarified that Assam will have a separate revision process, as its citizenship verification is still under Supreme Court supervision.
This marks the ninth SIR exercise since Independence, the last being conducted between 2002 and 2004.
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“The voter lists of all states and Union Territories included in this phase will be frozen at midnight on Monday,” Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said.
