The Election Commission on Thursday directed the Chief Electoral Officers of 22 states and Union Territories, including Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh, to begin preparations for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls “at the earliest.” The move comes as part of a nationwide effort to ensure voter lists are accurate and up-to-date ahead of upcoming elections.
While the SIR has already been completed in Bihar, the exercise is almost finished in nine other states and three Union Territories. The remaining 17 states and five UTs are now set to start the process in the coming weeks. The Commission emphasized that the exercise must be undertaken promptly, with all preparatory work completed without delay.
The SIR in these states and UTs will coincide with the first phase of Census-2027, which involves house-listing operations scheduled between April and September. Aligning the voter list revision with the census is expected to streamline data collection and improve the overall accuracy of electoral records.
In a detailed letter to the CEOs of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Ladakh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Delhi, Odisha, Punjab, Sikkim, Tripura, Telangana, and Uttarakhand, the Election Commission recalled that the pan-India SIR was ordered in June last year. At that time, all CEOs, except Bihar, where the exercise began in June 2025, were instructed to start pre-revision activities immediately.
After Bihar’s SIR concluded successfully, the Commission announced the exercise in 12 more states and UTs, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
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The exercise aims to add new voters, remove ineligible or duplicate entries, and ensure that electoral rolls are complete and precise. Officials have been urged to coordinate closely with local authorities to execute the process efficiently. The Commission’s directive underscores the importance of maintaining transparency and accuracy in India’s electoral system, reinforcing the foundation for free and fair elections across the country.