SIR Timeline Revised: EC Extends Deadline, Final Voter Rolls For 5 States On Nov 30, Delhi Final List Dec 22

New Delhi: The Election Commission has pushed back the schedule for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in 6 states and union territories. The EC’s latest move also marked the third extension to the exercise.

Now under the fresh calendar, the final electoral rolls for Maharashtra, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Nagaland will be published on November 30. However, Delhi will operate on a separate timetable, with the conclusive voter list slated for December 22.

The extension comes at a crucial time, which is just two days after the Supreme Court adopted a firm position on deadlines linked to the roll revision process. The EC stated that the changes were made following requests received from the chief electoral officers (CEOs) of the states concerned.

Maharashtra And Delhi Get Longer Window For Claims And Objections

In Maharashtra, the electors will have considerably more time to engage with the process. The cut-off for filing claims and objections, which earlier stood at October 26, has been extended to November 13. The window for issuance of notices and disposal of those claims and objections will now remain open until November 25. The draft roll in the state had been published on August 31, and the final roll will now appear on November 30.

Notably, Delhi has seen an even more substantial shift, with the deadline for submitting claims and objections being moved from October 30 to November 25. Similarly, the period for disposal of claims, earlier fixed for November 30, has been pushed to December 15. The capital's final electoral roll is now scheduled for publication on December 22, over 3 weeks after the other 5 states.

The revised windows are intended to give eligible voters additional opportunity to ensure their names are correctly included or to seek necessary corrections before the rolls are frozen.

Other States And EC's Direction On Publicity

The Election Commission has directed that claims and objections for Haryana and Andhra Pradesh be disposed of by November 20, ahead of the final publication on November 30. Although Telangana and Nagaland are part of the November 30 final publication group, their inclusion in the latest order confirms they too benefit from the extended timeline granted for the third time.

The Election Commission has instructed the authorities concerned to give wide publicity to the revised schedule. The election body emphasised that the objective is to ensure that no eligible voter is left out due to lack of information about the extended deadlines and that citizens have sufficient opportunity to get their names included or rectified.

The voters seeking further information and assistance have been advised to visit the Election Commission's Voters' Service Portal (VSP), where details regarding the SIR and the process for filing claims and objections are available.