The Election Commission of India (ECI) has revised the schedule of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) across 12 states and Union Territories (UTs). The entire exercise has been extended by seven days.
The enumeration forms will now be filled till Dec 11 instead of Dec 4; the draft rolls will now be published on Dec 16, 2025. The final roll will now be published on Feb 14, 2026.
The SIR is being conducted in nine states and three UTs across the country: Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh; 3 UTs -Andaman and Nicobar, Lakshadweep and Puducherry.
STORY | Bengal: BLOs press for compensation, accuse EC of ignoring work-pressure concerns
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 29, 2025
Members of a BLO rights platform with Trinamool Congress leanings on Saturday staged a protest outside the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) here, demanding compensation for… pic.twitter.com/3TMnIyZzTf
ECI’s revised schedule
The decision of the election commission comes at a time when deaths of BLOs, allegedly due to the work pressure, and strict timeline of the entire exercise, stirred a row in the country. The revised dates for different stages of the exercise are as follows:
- Enumeration period: By Dec 11, 2025 (Thursday)
- Rationalising/Re-arrangement of polling stations: By Dec 11, 2025 (Thursday)
- Updation of Control table and draft roll preparation: Dec 12-15, 2025
- Publication of draft rolls: Dec 16, 2025 (Tuesday)
- Period of filing claims and objections: Dec 16, 2025 – Jan 1, 2026
- Notice phase (issuance, hearing and verification): Dec 16, 2025 – Jan 7, 2026
- Checking of health parameters of electoral rolls: By Jan 10, 2026 (Tuesday)
- Final publication of draft rolls: Feb 14, 2026 (Saturday)
Why has ECI extended the deadline?
The poll panel has taken a decision days after a TMC delegation met Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and apprised him of the suicide cases among the BLOs, and the strict timeline of the entire exercise. For the past few weeks, multiple reports of BLOs complaining of exerting pressure, late night calls and threatening by senior officials to match the target of the SIR exercise surfaced.
Multiple representations were sent to the election commission regarding the short period in which the process has to be completed. The ruling government in Tamil Nadu and Kerala held several agitation against the exercise. In Bengal as well, the process was met with heavy opposition.
Petitions against the SIR also reached the Supreme Court, which agreed to hear a combined plea by different states.
Stormy Parliament Session due to SIR
The Parliament’s winter session is beginning from Monday (Dec 1), and all the opposition parties have asked for a discussion on the SIR exercise. The session is expected to be stormy as the leaders of opposition would try to corner the government on the issue of the revision of electoral rolls.
BJD leader Sasmit Patra said that almost all parties have demanded discussion on SIR during Winter session of Parliament.
After the all-party meeting ahead of the Winter Session of Parliament, CPI(M) MP John Brittas said, “The opposition parties were unanimous that the issue of SIR should be discussed, along with national security, rural distress and federal issues, including how governors sit on bills passed by state legislatures.”
” A whole range of issues was raised by the opposition and other parties. I also pointed out that the Honourable Parliamentary Affairs Minister is on record saying that if the subject is broadened to include reforms, then the government is ready for a discussion. We welcome that, let them widen the topic and bring reforms in the electoral process. We are ready for that,” he said.
