New Delhi: The Election Commission of India is set to initiate the first pan-India Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters’ list next week, starting with approximately “10 to 15 states,” including those scheduled for elections next year, as reported by officials on Saturday. States such as Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and West Bengal are among those expected to begin the voters’ list cleanup ahead of the polls in 2026.
The poll authority plans to announce the initial phase of SIR by the middle of next week, involving around “10 to 15 states.” The EC will refrain from conducting the electoral roll cleanup in states where local body elections are either occurring or imminent, as the local election infrastructure is preoccupied with those activities and may not effectively manage the SIR. The SIR in those states will be conducted in subsequent phases. The voters’ list cleanup in Bihar has already been completed, with the final list featuring nearly 7.42 crore names published on September 30. The Commission has previously held two conferences with state chief electoral officers (CEOs) to finalize the SIR rollout strategy.