NEW DELHI — India’s Election Commission has directed election officials in 22 states and Union Territories to complete preparations for a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls scheduled to begin in April 2026, officials said Thursday.
The Commission instructed Chief Electoral Officers to accelerate groundwork for the revision exercise, which aims to update and verify voter lists ahead of upcoming elections.
The states and Union Territories included in the planned revision are Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and 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.
Election officials said the SIR is a comprehensive review of electoral rolls designed to ensure that all eligible voters are included while removing ineligible or duplicate entries.
Unlike routine annual revisions — which primarily process applications for additions, deletions and corrections — a Special Intensive Revision involves wider field verification. Booth Level Officers conduct door-to-door checks, verify documents and scrutinize entries to identify deceased voters, shifted residents or duplicate registrations. The process follows a fixed timeline that includes publication of draft rolls, a period for claims and objections, and release of the final voter list.
Officials said such intensive revisions are typically conducted ahead of major elections or when a thorough clean-up of voter data is considered necessary to improve accuracy and integrity.
The Commission said the SIR exercise in Bihar has already concluded, while revision work remains underway in nine other states and three Union Territories. In Assam, a separate special revision was completed on Feb. 10.
The latest directive underscores the Election Commission’s efforts to maintain updated and accurate electoral rolls as preparations continue for future polls.
