The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday announced the extension of the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to 12 more states and Union Territories including West Bengal, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
Four of the states, where the SIR will be conducted in the second phase, are scheduled to go to polls next year. However, Assam, a BJP-ruled northeastern state that will also hold elections next year, was not among them.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar explained that a separate order for the SIR in Assam would be issued later, as the state is governed by special provisions under the Citizenship Act.
“Under India’s Citizenship Act, there are separate provisions for Assam. Under the supervision of the Supreme Court, the verification of citizenship there is about to be completed. The June 24 SIR order was for the entire country. Under such circumstances, it would not have been applicable to Assam. Therefore, separate orders for revision will be issued for Assam,” CEC Kumar said.
Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955, provides special provisions for citizenship as covered under the Assam Accord, which is why the poll body did not include Assam in the second phase of the SIR.
The second phase of the exercise will cover Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
This will be the first such exercise in 21 years, covering around 51 crore voters. The poll body will begin house-to-house enumeration on November 4, 2025, and the final electoral rolls are scheduled to be published on February 7, 2026.