The Election Commission of India has officially announced the commencement of the second phase of its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. This crucial voter list cleanup exercise will encompass nine states and three Union Territories, following a successful conclusion in Bihar. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar detailed that the revision process aims to ensure accuracy, adding every eligible voter to the rolls while removing any ineligible entries.
Electoral rolls in these 12 regions will be frozen tonight, with voters set to receive unique enumeration forms for data verification. Key states included in this second phase are West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Goa, and Gujarat, alongside the Union Territories of Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar, and Lakshadweep. These areas collectively account for approximately 51 crore voters and a significant number of Lok Sabha and Assembly constituencies.
Political parties will be briefed on the SIR process by Chief Electoral Officers and District Electoral Officers within the next two days. Training for polling officials is slated to begin tomorrow. Addressing concerns about migrated voters, the commission has introduced an online submission option for enumeration forms. This extensive voter roll revision, the ninth of its kind since India’s independence, underscores the EC’s commitment to transparent and accurate elections.