The Election Commission has ordered a Special Revision of Assam’s electoral rolls, with the final voter list due on February 10, 2026.
The directive comes at a time when several other states are undergoing a Special Intensive Revision (SIR), a much more exhaustive update.
Assam, however, has been placed on a separate track.
Here’s what that means.
What is a Special Revision?
A Special Revision is a mid-level voter roll update.
Officials describe it as 'between' the annual special summary revision and a full SIR.
Key features:
- Pre-filled registers will be used by booth-level officers (BLOs) for verification
- Elector details are cross-checked door-to-door
- No fresh enumeration forms are issued
- The process is targeted but not full-scale
This is meant to clean and update the rolls without the intensity and workload of a nationwide intensive revision.
What is a Special Intensive Revision (SIR)?
SIR is the most comprehensive revision the EC orders.
It involves:
- Fresh enumeration
- Full ground verification
- Scrutiny of every elector’s details
- Detailed inclusion/exclusion checks
- Larger deployment of manpower and administrative machinery
SIR is typically used when the EC wants a deep reset of the voter rolls.
Why Assam is NOT part of the nationwide SIR
CEC Gyanesh Kumar recently clarified that SIR ordered on June 24 for multiple states cannot be applied to Assam.
Reason:
- Assam has distinct citizenship provisions under the Citizenship Act
- Citizenship verification in the state is currently under Supreme Court supervision
- A nationwide SIR could overlap or conflict with the ongoing citizenship-related processes
Therefore, the EC decided to issue a separate order for Assam, tailored to its legal and administrative conditions.
How the process will work in Assam
According to the EC’s schedule:
- Door-to-door verification: November 22 – December 20
- Draft electoral roll: December 27
- Final roll: February 10, 2026
- Qualifying date: January 1, 2026
BLOs will verify electors using pre-populated registers, making the process quicker and more structured than a regular summary revision.
Why the difference matters for 2026 elections
Assam is scheduled to go to polls in 2026.
A Special Revision allows:
- Faster cleaning of voter rolls
- Reduced administrative burden
- Alignment with ongoing citizenship-related exercises
- A stable voter list ahead of election preparations
In contrast, a full SIR could have slowed election timelines or overlapped with Supreme Court–monitored processes.
(With inputs from PTI)
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