The EC will announce tomorrow the first phase of the pan-Indian SIR project which will include 10 to 15 states

Among the states likely to be covered by the program are Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry

Officials said the Election Commission of India (ECI) will hold a press conference on Monday evening to announce the first phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the all-India electoral rolls. The revision is expected to cover 10 to 15 states, including those where general elections are scheduled for 2026.

Among the states likely to be covered by the program are Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry.

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According to sources quoted by the "Indian Express," the process may begin on November 1. Some states where local body elections are being held or are under "special circumstances" may be exempted for the time being.

A senior official told PTI that the Election Commission may deploy volunteers to assist Booth Level Officers (BLOs) during the special intensive revision in West Bengal. These volunteers, most of whom are government employees, will be deployed to polling stations with more than 1,200 voters.

The official also explained that due to the limited number of voters per polling station, the number of polling stations in West Bengal may increase by approximately 14,000, raising the total number from 80,000 to around 94,000.

The Special Intensive Revision is a comprehensive process in which electoral rolls are redrawn, and all registered voters are required to submit new verification forms. This differs from the Special Summary Revision (SSR), which is conducted annually or before elections and only involves updating voter names.

Due to the computerization of voter lists, a thorough revision has not been conducted throughout India for almost two decades. For example, in Bihar, the last SSR was conducted in 2003.

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