The Election Commission is expected to initiate a nationwide special intensive revision (SIR) of the voters’ list in phases, starting with several states, including those scheduled for assembly elections next year, according to officials. However, the electoral roll cleanup will not occur in states where local body elections are currently taking place or are imminent, as the grassroots election machinery is engaged with these polls and may not be able to concentrate on the SIR. Assembly elections are set for Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal in 2026. In addition to these five states, the SIR may be conducted in a few other states during the initial phase.
The cleanup of the voters’ list has concluded in Bihar, with the final list featuring approximately 7.42 crore names published on September 30. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar stated on Monday that efforts are underway to launch the SIR of electoral rolls across all states, with the Election Commission to make a final determination regarding its implementation. When questioned at a press conference regarding the Bihar assembly polls, CEC Kumar noted that the EC had revealed its intention to execute a pan-India SIR while unveiling the Bihar SIR on June 24. The progress is ongoing, and the three commissioners will convene to establish dates for the respective SIRs in various states.
Officials indicated that the EC leadership had previously instructed state chief electoral officers (CEOs) at a conference earlier this month to prepare for the SIR rollout within the next 10 to 15 days. For better clarity, a September 30 deadline was established for readiness regarding the electoral roll cleanup. The CEOs were directed to have the electoral rolls of their states ready, published after the last SIR. Many CEOs have already made the voter list published after their last SIR available on their websites, including the Delhi CEO, which features the 2008 voter list from the last intensive revision in the national capital.