Election Commission Launches Phase 2 of SIR in These 12 States and UTs, 51 Crore Voters to Be Verified

The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Monday the commencement of phase two of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, covering 12 states and Union Territories. The exercise aims to update and verify voter lists, ensuring that all eligible citizens are included and no ineligible names remain.

The states and UTs included in this phase are Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. Among these, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, and West Bengal are scheduled to hold elections in 2026. For Assam, where elections are also due next year, the EC will announce the voter list revision separately.

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Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar highlighted that this is the ninth SIR exercise since India’s independence, with the last nationwide revision taking place between 2002 and 2004. He noted that the first phase, conducted in Bihar, concluded successfully without a single appeal.

“Phase two of the SIR will cover around 51 crore voters. The enumeration process begins on November 4, draft rolls will be published on December 9, and the final electoral lists will be made available on February 7,” Kumar said during a press briefing.

The Bihar voter list cleanup, which formed part of the first phase, has already been completed, with a final tally of approximately 7.42 crore electors published on September 30. Bihar’s polling will be conducted in two phases on November 6 and November 11, with vote counting scheduled for November 14.

The SIR initiative also serves as a measure to identify and remove foreign nationals from the voter lists by verifying their place of birth, particularly in the context of efforts to address illegal migration from neighboring countries such as Bangladesh and Myanmar.

The Election Commission has coordinated closely with state Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), holding multiple conferences to finalize the SIR implementation plan. Several state CEOs have already made their voter lists from previous revisions available online. For example, Delhi’s last intensive revision dates back to 2008, while Uttarakhand’s voter list from the 2006 SIR is still accessible on the state CEO website.

Most states have largely mapped their current electors against the previous SIR conducted between 2002 and 2004, using it as the baseline for updating the rolls. The exercise is expected to strengthen the integrity of the electoral process and ensure a cleaner, more accurate voters’ database across the country.