ECI Extends Special Intensive Revision (SIR) Schedule for 12 States and UTs by Seven Days

Kolkata — The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday extended the ongoing three-stage Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in 12 states and union territories by seven days, issuing a revised notification with updated deadlines.

Under the earlier schedule, the enumeration phase — involving the collection and digitisation of voter enumeration forms — was set to conclude on December 4. With the extension, this stage will now end on December 11. The same date has been fixed for completing the rationalisation and re-arrangement of polling stations.

The publication of the draft electoral roll, initially planned for December 9, has been pushed to December 16.

According to the revised timeline, the window for filing claims and objections will now run from December 16, 2025, to January 15, 2026.

The notice phase — covering issuance, hearings, verification, and decisions on enumeration forms, along with the disposal of claims and objections by electoral registration officers (EROs) — will be carried out between December 16, 2025, and February 7, 2026.

The checking of the electoral rolls’ health parameters and securing ECI approval for the final publication must now be completed by February 10, 2026.

The final electoral roll will be published on February 14, replacing the earlier date of February 7.

Opposition parties have repeatedly criticised the ECI for conducting the SIR in haste, alleging it is being done at the behest of the BJP. The Trinamool Congress has been the most vocal on the issue.

Reactions to the extension from political parties are still awaited. However, a senior West Bengal political figure, speaking anonymously, claimed the seven-day extension is “just an eyewash,” adding that any official statement would come from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee or TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

With inputs from IANS