The Election Commission of India will conduct phase two of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in 12 states and Union Territories, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has announced. The list interestingly figures Gujarat but leaves out Assam. Assam goes to polls in next four months and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma does not miss a change to harp on illegal immigrants in Assam. He has referred to them as ghus petiyas and often harped on communal divisions in Assam. Gyanesh Kumar has claimed that Assam will be announced separately.
The states and Union Territories as announced by EC include Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. Among these, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and West Bengal will go to the polls in 2026.
Assam and Mumbai stand excluded from the list, even though major elections are scheduled to take place there soon. The Assam Assembly Elections and BMC Elections in Mumbai are slated for 2026.
Kumar said the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is the ninth such exercise since Independence, with the last one happening in 2002-04.
Kumar said the first phase of the SIR was completed in Bihar with zero appeals.
“The second phase will be conducted in 12 states and Union Territories. SIR will ensure no eligible elector is left out and no ineligible elector is included in poll rolls,” Mr. Kumar said at a press conference.
CEC Gyanesh Kumar said that draft rolls to be published on December 9; final electoral rolls on February 7.
He said that phase-II of SIR in 12 states/UTs to cover 51 crore voters and the enumeration process to begin on November 4.
The voters’ list cleanup exercise has been concluded in Bihar with the final list with nearly 7.42 crore electors published on September 30. Polling in the state will be held in two phases — on November 6 and November 11 — and the counting will take place on November 14.
The Election Commission Of India has already held two conferences with state chief electoral officers (CEOs) to firm up the SIR rollout roadmap. Several CEOs have already put the voter lists after their last SIR on their websites.
What Is SIR?
Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is a focused process conducted by the Election Commission of India officials to verify and update voter lists. During SIR, officials visit households to check voter details, correct errors, add new eligible voters and remove duplicate or invalid entries. It ensures the accuracy and transparency of electoral rolls before elections.
Also Read: SC Warns Of Scrapping Bihar Voter List Over Irregularities http://SC Warns Of Scrapping Bihar Voter List Over Irregularities
