Election Commission Launches Voter List Revision Across 16 States and 3 UTs

Voter List Revision Process Announced

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced the third phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process for voter lists, covering the remaining 16 states and three Union Territories (UTs) on Thursday. This phase will encompass the entire country, excluding Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. During this phase, approximately 394,000 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will conduct door-to-door surveys for 367.3 million voters. Additionally, around 342,000 Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by political parties will assist in this process.

States and UTs Involved

The states participating in this exercise include Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Sikkim, Tripura, Telangana, and Uttarakhand. The Union Territories involved are Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Chandigarh, and the National Capital Territory of Delhi. The schedule for SIR Phase III has been aligned with the ongoing house listing process of the census.

Separate Schedule for Challenging Regions

According to the Election Commission, the SIR exercise in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh will be announced separately after the completion of the second phase of the census, taking into account the weather challenges in high-altitude and snowbound areas. The Commission noted that operational constraints and difficult terrain have led to the postponement of the program in these regions, and notifications will be issued once ground deployment becomes feasible.

Timeline for Voter List Updates

The voter list revision process across various states is scheduled to take place between May and September 2026. This will include door-to-door verification, reorganization of polling stations, publication of draft voter lists, and the process for receiving claims and objections, culminating in the final voter list release. Initially, the verification campaign will run from May 30 to June 28 in Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim, and Manipur, with the final voter list for these states published on September 6, 2026. In Maharashtra, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, and Delhi, this process will commence at the end of June and is expected to conclude by October 7, 2026.