The Election Commission (EC) will announce the first phase of a special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across India, covering around 10 to 15 states and Union Territories, including West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry, all of which head to polls soon.

According to officials, this will mark the first nationwide revision of voter rolls in nearly two decades. However, states like Maharashtra, which must hold local body polls by January 31, 2026, and snow-bound regions such as Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Ladakh, will be excluded from this phase.

Ahead of the EC’s official announcement, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin accused the BJP of trying to manipulate the voter rolls.

“BJP is plotting to remove names from the voter list ahead of state polls, as in Bihar,” Stalin alleged, claiming that “it (SIR) deprived nearly 65 lakh voters in poll-bound Bihar of their voting rights.”

In a letter to party members, Stalin warned that the “BJP and its ally AIADMK believe that if the names of voters from the working class, minorities, scheduled castes, women, and the poor are deleted through SIR, they can secure victory without facing the people. But this calculation will fail in Tamil Nadu,” he said.

Nationwide rollout to be announced at press conference

Unlike in Bihar, where the EC announced the revision with a written order, the pan-India SIR will be launched at a press conference, allowing reporters to raise questions and seek clarifications in real time.

Officials said the process will be conducted in stages, depending on the readiness of states. These stages include:

  • Snow-bound regions where the exercise will wait until after winter.

  • States are preparing for local body elections in the next three months.

  • States where most electors (75–80%) have already been verified, and only the remaining will need to provide proof of eligibility.

Based on the three-month SIR model followed in Bihar, the first phase of enrolment is expected to begin on November 1, when voters can fill in forms and submit documents if required.
The final electoral rolls are likely to be published by late January or early February 2026, after handling claims and objections.

EC sources said the documents accepted as proof of eligibility will remain the same as in Bihar, with Aadhaar used only as proof of identity.'

The groundwork for the pan-India exercise began months ago. The EC held two conferences of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) in September and October, reviewing each state’s preparedness.

Sources said that with the successful rollout in Bihar, states are better equipped to handle the process. Around 50–70% of electors have already been digitally linked to previous rolls, and booth-level officers have received training.

The EC aims to produce a cleaner, error-free electoral roll, removing duplicate entries, names of deceased persons, illegal immigrants, and voters who have shifted locations.