The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday extended the deadline for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in five states and one Union Territory, granting an additional week after multiple administrations said they needed more time to complete the verification work.
The extension covers Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, where officials are in the middle of an extensive cross-checking exercise to update and authenticate voter records.
Under the revised schedule, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat will now submit their SIR reports on December 19, while Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands have been given time until December 23. Uttar Pradesh, which has the largest electorate, has been granted the longest extension, with its submission deadline shifted to December 31.
The ECI said the decision followed formal requests from Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) who highlighted logistical challenges, pending field verification, and the sheer scale of the task in densely populated districts.
This SIR cycle covers 12 states and Union Territories, forming the second major phase of voter roll verification undertaken this year. The first phase concluded in Bihar ahead of the Assembly elections.
States like Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and West Bengal—all due for elections in 2026—are considered priority regions, with officials emphasising accurate voter rolls before the poll cycle begins. Meanwhile, Assam is carrying out a separate process called a “Special Revision.”
Many states last conducted a similar large-scale revision between 2002 and 2004, making the current SIR crucial for mapping electors, correcting data, removing duplicate entries, and addressing concerns related to foreign nationals.
The exercise has gained added significance amid heightened crackdowns on suspected illegal migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar in several states. Officials say SIR helps verify place-of-birth details and ensures only eligible citizens remain on the voter list.
