The Election Commission officials met with Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of states and UTs on Wednesday to review preparations for the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The exercise is expected to start in phases from early November, beginning with states holding elections in 2026 and a few others, according to The Indian Express.
Phased Rollout – Which states are likely to be included in first phase?
The two-day meeting began on Wednesday with an assessment of readiness across all states and Union Territories. While the final rollout plan will be announced after the meeting, initial reports suggest that Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal, which are the states with upcoming elections, may be included in the first phase.
However, Assam officials have indicated that they prefer to carry out the revision only after the National Register of Citizens (NRC) is published, as Assam is the only state to have completed an NRC so far. The EC has yet to decide whether Assam will be part of the first phase.
What about eligibility?
When the nationwide SIR is launched, the EC may allow voters to submit extracts from the electoral roll of any state’s last intensive revision, not just their current state. For example, a migrant worker from West Bengal now living in Mumbai can stay enrolled in Maharashtra if their name appears or is linked to a voter in West Bengal’s 2002 roll, the IE report explained. In Bihar’s last SIR in 2003, voters could only submit extracts from Bihar’s last revision.
The process of mapping current voters to the last intensive revision (2002–2008) has faced challenges, especially in urban areas with high migration.
SIR and official review – All you need to know
The EC first ordered the Special Intensive Revision on June 24, beginning with Bihar. All registered voters were asked to fill enumeration forms, and those added after 2003 had to provide documents proving their birth date or place. This ensured voters’ eligibility and citizenship.
On Wednesday, the EC, led by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, also reviewed the appointment and training of district, constituency, and booth-level officials. At the last meeting on September 10, CEOs had presented detailed data on electors in their states and the qualifying dates from the last SIR.
The EC said it assessed the progress made by CEOs in mapping current voters with those on the last SIR, ensuring readiness for the upcoming nationwide revision.
