A few weeks back, I had written about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which was accompanied by a lot of noise from opposition parties due to the SIR happening in Bihar before the State elections, after that Election Commission of India (ECI) ordered for SIR in many States and Union Territories where elections are going to take place in next few months.
Today’s blog is about the LATEST ON SIR.
The ECI has extended the SIR scheduled by a week in 12 States and Union Territories, giving voters additional time to ensure their names are correctly included in the electoral rolls ahead of upcoming elections. The Booth Level Officers (BLO) and Booth-Level Agents will also get an additional time of seven days to share the list of the absent, shifted, dead and duplicate list of voters.
This revision covers Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. This supersedes the Commission’s earlier order on the ongoing SIR process.
This comes after a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India said it can always direct the ECI to extend the deadline for publication of draft electoral rolls, if the petitioners make a case for it. This was in response to petitions challenging the SIR exercise in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.
The SC also asked the ECI and Kerala State Election Commission to respond to petitions challenging SIR in the State. While some petitions have sought postponement of the exercise, given logistical issues since Kerala is holding local body polls on 9th and 11th December.
The EC”s decision comes in the wake deaths, including at least five allegedly by suicide, of some Block Level Officers (BLOs)engaged in the exercise. Reports of BLOs facing extreme work pressure have also emerged. Some States have also files FIRs against BLOs, who are usually State government School Teachers and Anganwadi helpers, for alleged dereliction of duty
The Commission has revised key milestones as follows:
- Enumeration period extended up to 11th December 2025 (Thursday).
- Rationalisation and Re-arrangement of Polling Stations by !1th December 2025.
- Updation of Control Table and Draft Roll Preparation by 12th-15th December 2025 (Friday to Monday).
- Publication of Draft Electoral Roll-16th December 2025 (Tuesday).
- Period of filing Claims and Objections : 16th December 2025 to 15th January 2026 (Thursday).
- Notice Phase Issuance, Hearing & Verification: 16th December 2025 t0 7th February 2026 (Saturday), during which Election Returning Officers (EROs) will concurrently address claims, objection, and enumeration forms.
The SIR is part of the Election commission’s ongoing effort to ensure that electoral rolls are accurate, up-to-date, and inclusive, particularly ahead of crucial State Elections. This extension provides voters additional time to verify their details, file objections, or make necessary corrections to their entries in the voter list.
Officials have emphasized that residents in the affected States and UTs should take advantage of extended schedule to avoid missing their opportunity to vote in future elections.
Waiting for your views on this blog.
Anil Malik
1st December 2025