New Delhi:The Election Commission of India (ECI) is set to carry out the third phase of its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) ofelectoral rollsacross several states heading into crucial Assembly elections in 2027, including Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Manipur. According to the poll body, the latest phase of the SIR exercise has been scheduled keeping in mind the ongoing Census house-listing operations, as both activities involve a common field-level administrative machinery.
States Facing SIR Ahead Of Crucial2027 Elections:
According to the Election Commission’s broader rollout plan, the voter roll verification exercise in these election-bound states is expected to take place between June and October 2026, well ahead of polling next year.
The SIR exercise is aimed at updating electoral rolls by verifying voters, removing duplicate or ineligible names and ensuring eligible citizens are included before elections. The move comes as the EC expands the revision exercise nationwide in one of the largest voter verification drives in recent years.
The poll body recently announced the third phase of the SIR programme, which will cover 16 states and three Union Territories in a phased manner. The schedule has been planned alongside the ongoing Census house-listing operations since both exercises rely heavily on the same field-level administrative machinery.
With Phase-III, almost the entire country will come under the Special Intensive Revision process. Only Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have temporarily been left out for operational reasons, including weather-related challenges in snow-bound regions and the pending completion of the second phase of the Census. The EC said separate schedules for these areas will be announced later.
The scale of the exercise is massive. The Election Commission said over 3.94 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will conduct door-to-door verification of nearly 36.73 crore electors during the enumeration phase. They will be assisted by around 3.42 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by political parties.
Calling the process a “participative exercise”, the EC urged political parties to appoint BLAs at every polling booth to maintain transparency and ensure wider participation in the voter verification process.
“The Special Intensive Revision is a participative exercise involving electors, political parties and election officials,” the Commission said, underlining the importance of cooperation from all stakeholders for accurate and transparent electoral rolls.
The Commission also highlighted that the first two phases of the SIR exercise, conducted across 13 states and Union Territories, covered nearly 59 crore electors. More than 6.3 lakh BLOs and 9.2 lakh BLAs were involved in various stages of the process.
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