Voters in 12 states get extra week for verification

In a significant update for voters across twelve specific states and Union Territories, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced a relaxation in the timeline for the ongoing electoral roll updates. The poll body has officially pushed back the SIR form submission deadline by one week.

Previously set to conclude on December 4, the window for submitting enumeration forms for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) will now remain open until December 11.

New Dates for the Electoral Roll

This extension applies to a specific cluster of 12 regions: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh. Crucially for our readers tracking regional developments, this list also includes Odisha's neighboring states, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh.

According to the revised schedule sent to the Chief Electoral Officers, the process has been adjusted as follows:

• · Submission of Forms: Citizens now have until December 11 to complete their details and hand them over to Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
• · Draft Roll Publication: Consequently, the draft electoral roll will be released on December 16, moved from the original date of December 9.
• · Final Roll Publication: The definitive and final electoral roll is now scheduled for publication on February 14, 2026, a week later than the previously planned February 7 date.

Digital Processing and Current Status

Once voters hand over their forms, the BLOs are tasked with uploading this data onto the ECINet portal. The commission assured that any citizen who submits their paperwork by the new SIR form submission deadline will be guaranteed inclusion in the upcoming draft roll.

While the ECI did not cite a specific reason for this sudden schedule modification in its Sunday communication, recent data indicates substantial progress. By Saturday, over 99% of enumeration forms had already been distributed to the target audience of 51 crore electors, with nearly 79% of these forms already digitized.

Understanding the SIR Exercise

The Special Intensive Revision marks a departure from the standard annual updates known as Special Summary Revisions. Unlike the usual process where names are simply added or removed from existing lists, the SIR involves creating the electoral rolls entirely from scratch.

This rigorous method was recently applied in Bihar ahead of its Assembly elections, resulting in a 6% decrease in the registered voter count due to the removal of deceased voters or those who had permanently shifted residence. The current exercise aims to bring similar accuracy to the voter lists of these 12 states and UTs, with other regions expected to follow suit in the future.