Second phase of SIR in 12 states, UTs from Nov 4; exercise to span 3 months

The Election Commission (EC) will conduct the second phase of the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in 12 states and union territories from November 4, covering 51 crore voters, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar announced on Monday. The recently concluded Bihar SIR was the first phase of the exercise.

The 12 states which will be part of the second phase include three states and a union territory where the Assembly elections are due in 2026. These are West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and the Union Territory of Puducherry.

Addressing a press conference to announce the schedule for the pan-India SIR, the CEC said the enumeration process would begin on November 4 and continue till December 4, while the draft rolls would be published on December 9. During the enumeration, booth-level officers (BLOs) would make three visits to every house to verify voter details. The window for filing claims and objections against the draft list would be between December 9 and January 8 next year. The final electoral rolls would be published on February 7. The exercise will be completed in three months.

The SIR schedule for the remaining parts of the country would be announced later after the completion of the second phase.

The other states and union territories which have been included in the second phase of the SIR are the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Kumar said the ongoing pan-India SIR was the ninth such exercise since Independence, with the last one having taken place in 2002-04.

He said the first phase of the SIR was completed in Bihar with zero appeals.

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“The SIR will ensure that no eligible elector is left out and no ineligible elector is included in the poll rolls,” Kumar said.

The CEC made it clear that no documents would be required to be shown by voters during the enumeration, which was a significant lesson learnt from the Bihar SIR.

“The voter list of all states where the SIR is to be conducted will be frozen at midnight tonight (October 28). All voters on the list will be given unique enumeration forms by the BLOs. These enumeration forms will have all necessary details from the current voter list,” Kumar said. “No new documents needed if your or your parent’s name is on the 2003 list. After the BLOs start distributing the forms to the existing electors, all those whose names are on the enumeration forms will try to match whether their names were on the 2003 voter list. If yes, they need not submit any additional document,” Kumar said.

Separate voter revision for Assam later

The other states and UTs which have been included in the second phase of the SIR are the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

Assam, where the poll is due in May 2026, has not been covered. The CEC said a separate provision of the Citizenship Act was applicable to Assam and the revision of poll rolls there would be announced separately.

The poll body also released the list of 12 “indicative but not exhaustive” documents required for the survey, which also includes Aadhaar.

However, Kumar clarified that Aadhaar was optional as it was not a proof of citizenship or birth, but only a proof of identity.

The other documents are the same which were required during the Bihar SIR. These include any identity card/pension payment order issued to a regular employee/pensioner of Central Government/state government/PSUs; any identity card/certificate/document issued in India by the government/local authorities/ banks/post office/LIC/PSUs prior to July 1, 1987; birth certificate issued by the competent authority; passport; matriculation/educational certificate issued by recognised boards/universities; permanent residence certificate issued by the competent state authority; forest right certificate; OBC/SC/ST or any caste certificate issued by the competent authority; the National Register of Citizens (wherever it exists); family register prepared by the state/local authorities; and any land/house allotment certificate by the government. For Aadhaar, the commission’s directions issued on September 9, 2025, shall apply, which means it is optional.

Meanwhile, Assam, which is due for the Assembly poll in May 2026, has not been covered in the second phase of the SIR. Asked about it, Kumar said a separate provision of the Citizenship Act was applicable to Assam.

The revision of electoral rolls in Assam would be announced separately, he said.

“Under the Act, there are separate provisions for citizenship in Assam. Under the supervision of the Supreme Court, the exercise of checking citizenship is about to be completed. The June 24 SIR order was for the entire country. Under such circumstances, this would not have applied to Assam,” Kumar said.

The CEC ruled out any confrontation with the West Bengal Government, where the ruling Trinamool Congress has opposed the SIR.

“There is no hurdle between the EC and the state government. The commission is doing its constitutional duty by carrying out the SIR, and the state government will discharge its constitutional duties,” Kumar said.