EC To Launch First Phase Of Pan-India Voter Roll Revision Covering 10–15 States

The Election Commission of India (ECI) will announce the first phase of the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls on Monday (27 October), covering approximately 10-15 states and Union Territories, including poll-bound West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry, reported The Times Of India.

The initial round is likely to exclude Maharashtra, where local body polls must be held by 31 January, 2026, as directed by the Supreme Court, along with snow-bound regions such as Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Ladakh. The last nationwide intensive revision took place nearly two decades ago.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M.K. Stalin accused the BJP of “plotting to remove names from voter list” ahead of state elections, citing the example of Bihar.

"It (SIR) deprived nearly 65 lakh voters in poll-bound Bihar of their voting rights," he claimed, adding that the BJP and its ally AIADMK believe voter deletions among "the working class, minorities, scheduled castes, women, and the poor" will secure victory. "But this calculation will fail in Tamil Nadu," Stalin said.

Unlike in Bihar, where the EC launched the SIR through a written order, the nationwide exercise will be introduced at a press conference to address questions and clarify procedures. The revision will proceed in phases, with later rounds covering states facing winter challenges, upcoming local elections, or where most electors have already been verified through digital mapping.

The EC plans to begin the enrolment process for the first phase on 1 November, with the final rolls expected by late January or early February 2026.

Bihar’s recent SIR illustrates the scale of revision: the state’s voter count dropped from 7.89 crore to 7.42 crore after 65 lakh deletions for deaths, migration, and duplication, while 21 lakh new voters were added. The EC said eligible persons can still seek inclusion before the election nomination deadlines.

Officials said the nationwide SIR aims to create cleaner, more accurate rolls by removing duplicate, deceased, and ineligible entries while ensuring all eligible citizens remain on the list.

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