Election Commission To Launch Nationwide Special Intensive Revision Of Electoral Rolls: Sources

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is preparing to roll out a nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls later this month or in early October, sources told Republic Media Network.

The move follows a similar exercise recently completed in Bihar ahead of its state elections. This will now be extended across all states and Union Territories, aligning with the annual summary revision of rolls for the qualifying date of January 1, 2026.

Top-Level Review Meetings Begin

A clear signal of the Commission’s plan came with a top-level meeting held yesterday to review the progress of SIR preparations.

In West Bengal, Additional CEOs and Deputy CEOs addressed ADMs, OCs, and EROs of the districts via video conference from the office of the CEO.

The discussions focused on the appointment of booth-level officers (BLOs) and continuous activities in districts to ensure readiness for the upcoming revision.

National Consultation with CEOs

At the national level, the ECI convened a meeting with the chief electoral officers (CEOs) from all states and Union Territories at the India International Institute of Democracy and Election Management (IIIDEM) in New Delhi.

The Commission had directed each CEO to come prepared with a presentation on their state or UT’s SIR preparedness, covering voter strength, data from the last revision, digitisation progress, and uploading of rolls on CEO websites.

After this crucial meeting, the Commission is expected to finalise and announce the date for the nationwide rollout of the SIR.

Voter Participation and Documentation

Under the upcoming exercise, voters across India, except in Bihar, where SIR is already complete, will need to fill and submit signed enumeration forms.

Some categories of voters will be able to do so without supporting documents, while others will need to attach proof of age and citizenship, as mandated by Article 326 of the Constitution.

Those whose names featured in the final rolls after the last intensive revision in 2003–04 will be presumed citizens and will only need to confirm their details.

Consolidated National Rollout

The Commission had announced in June 2025 that it intended to conduct a nationwide SIR to “protect the integrity of electoral rolls.”

While it was initially speculated that only states going to polls in April 2026, Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry, would undergo the revision first, the ECI is now consolidating the SIR with the annual summary revision into one exercise.

Also Read: PM Modi to Visit Assam on Sept 13; Inaugurate Projects Worth Rs 18 Crore

Timeline and Final Publication

The nationwide SIR will be spread over a month, after which draft rolls will be published. Citizens will then have a one-month window to raise claims and objections, which will be settled within 25 days.

Final rolls for all states and UTs are expected to be published in early January 2026.

Objective of the Exercise

According to the ECI, the core objective of the SIR is to “purify” the rolls by removing names of deceased voters, those who have permanently shifted, duplicate entries, or non-citizens, while ensuring that no eligible voter is left out.