ECI launches SIR Phase III across 16 states, 3 UTs covering 36.74 crore electors

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday announced the rollout of Phase III of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across 16 states and three Union Territories, launching one of the country’s largest voter verification exercises ahead of upcoming elections with nearly 36.74 crore electors set to be covered.

In a statement, the poll panel said the exercise would involve extensive house-to-house verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) along with active participation from political parties through Booth Level Agents (BLAs), in what the Commission described as a “participative exercise” aimed at ensuring transparency and accuracy in electoral rolls.

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“The Commission considers the Special Intensive Revision a participative exercise and requests all political parties to appoint BLAs for each polling booth to ensure transparency and full participation,” the ECI said.

According to the Commission, the revision drive will be carried out across the country except in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, where the schedule will be announced separately at a later stage. The deferment, the ECI said, was necessitated by the ongoing Phase-II Census activities and weather-related constraints in snow-bound regions.

The Commission said around 3.94 lakh BLOs would undertake door-to-door visits to verify voter details, identify shifted or duplicate entries and facilitate enrolment of newly eligible voters. More than 3.42 lakh BLAs appointed by recognised political parties are also expected to participate in the process. As per Commission data, the exercise will cover 36,73,87,831 electors as on May 12, 2026.

“The schedule has been fixed keeping in view the common field machinery engaged in the ongoing house-listing phase of the Census,” the Commission noted.

The first set of states under the latest phase includes Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim and Manipur, where BLOs will begin house visits from May 30. The exercise in these States will continue till June 28, while the final electoral rolls are scheduled to be published on September 6.

Several other major States, including Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Telangana, Punjab, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Delhi will follow different revision timelines extending up to December this year.

Among all states, Maharashtra will account for the largest share of the exercise, with 97,924 BLOs set to verify electoral details of nearly 9.86 crore voters. Karnataka will see 59,050 BLOs deployed for over 5.55 crore electors.

The Election Commission also highlighted the scale of the earlier phases of the revision exercise. According to the poll body, Phases I and II conducted across 13 States and Union Territories involved verification of nearly 59 crore electors with the participation of more than 6.3 lakh BLOs and 9.2 lakh BLAs.

The SIR is a periodic exercise undertaken by the Commission to maintain the integrity and accuracy of electoral rolls before major elections. The process includes removal of duplicate, deceased or shifted voters, correction of voter details and inclusion of newly eligible citizens who have attained voting age.

The latest exercise assumes added significance as several States prepare for Assembly elections over the coming months, with the Commission seeking to ensure cleaner and updated electoral rolls amid increasing focus on voter data accuracy and electoral transparency.