Kozhikode: A nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls will take place across 12 states and six Union Territories starting October 28, and continue until February 7, 2026, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar announced on Monday.

The second phase of this exercise will include five poll-bound states and Union Territories — Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, and Puducherry — while Assam has been kept out of the process due to the ongoing National Register of Citizens (NRC) update.

According to the Election Commission (EC), the voter list of approximately 51 crore electors will be updated in this phase.

The Commission also released the complete list of states and Union Territories where the revision will be undertaken. The voter rolls in these regions will be frozen by tonight.

The states and UTs covered under the SIR are:

  1. Andaman and Nicobar Islands
  2. Chhattisgarh
  3. Goa
  4. Gujarat
  5. Kerala
  6. Lakshadweep
  7. Madhya Pradesh
  8. Puducherry
  9. Rajasthan
  10. Tamil Nadu
  11. Uttar Pradesh
  12. West Bengal

What Is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)?

The Special Intensive Revision is an extensive process undertaken by the EC to update and verify electoral rolls.

During this revision, names of new eligible voters are added, while those of deceased, duplicate, or relocated voters are removed. The process also helps identify and delete wrongful inclusions, including foreign nationals mistakenly added to voter lists.

By law, the EC is required to revise electoral rolls before every election or whenever necessary to maintain accuracy. Any errors, duplications, or outdated entries are corrected, ensuring a fresh and updated voter list.

The last such nationwide SIR was conducted over 21 years ago, between 2002 and 2004.

Who Manages the SIR Process?

Each polling station caters to roughly 1,000 voters on average. The Booth Level Officer (BLO) is the primary field official responsible for one polling station.

Every Assembly Constituency comprises several polling stations, overseen by an Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) — typically a Sub-Divisional Magistrate-level official.

The ERO’s duties include preparing draft electoral rolls, handling claims and objections, and finalizing the published electoral list.

Additionally, Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) are appointed for each Tehsil or Block to support this process.

Key Dates and Phases of the SIR:

As per the Election Commission, the SIR Phase 2 will follow this detailed timeline:

  • Training of officials: October 28 – November 3, 2025
  • House-to-house enumeration: November 4 – December 4, 2025
  • Publication of draft electoral rolls: December 9, 2025
  • Claims and objections submission: December 9, 2025 – January 8, 2026
  • Verification and hearings: December 9, 2025 – January 31, 2026
  • Final publication of rolls: February 7, 2026

Documents Required for SIR:

The Election Commission has listed several valid documents that can be submitted during the revision. These include:

  • Identity cards or pension documents issued by the Central or State Government
  • Any valid Government of India identity certificate
  • Aadhaar card (not proof of citizenship, but acceptable for identification)
  • Birth certificate
  • Passport
  • Educational or matriculation certificate
  • Permanent residence certificate issued by a competent authority
  • Forest rights certificate
  • Caste certificate (OBC/SC/ST or others)
  • National Register of Citizens (where applicable)
  • Government-issued land or house allotment certificate
  • Family Register maintained by local authorities

How Will the SIR Be Conducted?

The Election Commission has outlined a 10-step procedure to ensure transparency and accuracy in the Special Intensive Revision process:

  1. Pre-Enumeration Phase: Training sessions for BLOs, EROs, and DEOs. BLOs will manually cross-check enumeration forms against previous SIR data, verified digitally through ECINET.
  2. Political Party Involvement: State Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), District Election Officers (DEOs), and EROs will brief political parties about the SIR process. Booth Level Agents (BLAs) nominated by parties will be trained to monitor the exercise.
  3. Enumeration Phase: BLOs will manage printing, distribution, and linking of enumeration forms for every polling station.
  4. Publication of Draft Electoral Rolls: The draft list will include all electors whose enumeration forms have been received. Lists of absent, deceased, or shifted voters will also be made available online for review.
  5. Issuance of Notices: Notices will be sent to voters whose details could not be matched, asking them to re-verify their documents.
  6. Claims and Objections: Any voter or Booth Level Agent can submit a claim or object to the draft list.
  7. Hearing and Decision: The District Magistrate (DM) or the State/UT CEO will examine and decide on the claims and objections.
  8. Final Publication: Once all verifications are complete, the final electoral rolls will be released.
  9. Deployment of Volunteers: Volunteers will be stationed to ensure voters face no harassment or inconvenience during the process.
  10. Rationalisation of Polling Stations: The Commission will ensure that no polling station serves more than 1,200 voters for better accessibility.

The draft rolls will be published on December 9, 2025, and the final rolls will be out on February 7, 2026.