Nationwide SIR likely to be rolled out in phases in November, 2026 poll-bound states to lead: Report

A voter list cleanup exercise concluded in Bihar just before the Assembly elections, where the final list with nearly 7.42 crore names was published on September 30

The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday held a meeting with chief electoral officers (CEOs) to take stock of preparations for the nationwide special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The exercise is expected to begin in phases from early November, starting with the states headed for elections in 2026 and a few others.

The two-day conference of the EC on nationwide SIR began with the commission assessing the readiness of offices of the CEOs of all states/UTs for the nationwide SIR, the poll body said. Though the final plan will be unveiled post-conference, the revision is expected to begin in phases with Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal -- which go to polls next year -- and select other states, according to a report by The Indian Express.

Officials from Assam have reportedly informed the poll body they would prefer to take up an intensive revision of rolls only after National Register of Citizens (NRC) for the state is published. Given that Assam is the only state to have already carried out an NRC exercise, the poll panel has yet to decide on its inclusion in the initial phase, The Indian Express report added.

The report also mentioned that when the modalties for the nationwide SIR are announced, the cut-off year of presumed eligibility could follow the same principle as in Bihar – the last year of an intensive revision, which was 2003 for Bihar.

For the upcoming nationwide revision, the EC is considering a more flexible approach, allowing voters to furnish extracts of their names from any state’s last intensive revision. Earlier, during Bihar’s SIR, electors could submit extracts only from Bihar’s own previous revision roll.

A voter list cleanup exercise concluded in Bihar just before the Assembly elections, where the final list with nearly 7.42 crore names was published on September 30.

The CEC had earlier this month said work is in progress to launch the SIR of electoral rolls in all states, and a final decision on its rollout will be taken by the Election Commission.

The present two-day conference is being held as a follow up on the SIR preparedness meet held on September 10 during which all the states/UTs gave detailed presentations on the number of electors, qualifying date of last SIR and electoral roll in their respective state/UT as per the last completed SIR.

The primary aim of the SIR is to weed out foreign illegal migrants by checking their place of birth.

The move assumes significance in the wake of a crackdown in several states on illegal foreign migrants, mainly from Bangladesh and Myanmar.