EC to roll out SIR in TN, Kerala, Bengal, 9 other states; poll-bound Assam left out
Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Puducherry, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, Andaman and Nicobar, Lakshadweep to see SIR in this phase
The Election Commission will conduct phase two of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in 12 states and Union Territories, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar announced on Monday (October 27).
These are: Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Delhi, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajashtan, Chhattisgarh, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep. Strangely, Assam, which is going to polls next year along with TN, Kerala, Bengal and Puducherry, is left out of SIR 2.0.
Kumar said the ongoing SIR is the ninth such exercise since Independence, with the last one happening in 2002-04. The First phase of the SIR was completed in Bihar with zero appeals, he added.
"The second phase will be conducted in 12 states and Union Territories. SIR will ensure no eligible elector is left out and no ineligible elector is included in poll rolls," Kumar said at a press conference.
Kumar said the SIR in Bihar has been a grand success, as evident from the fact that there have been zero appeals.
The voters' list cleanup exercise has been concluded in Bihar with the final list with nearly 7.42 crore electors published on September 30. Polling in the state will be held in two phases — on November 6 and November 11 — and the counting will take place on November 14.
The Election Commission has already held two conferences with state chief electoral officers (CEOs) to firm up the SIR rollout roadmap. Several CEOs have already put the voter lists after their last SIR on their websites.
Read the live updates here.
Live Updates
- 27 Oct 2025 4:23 PM IST
‘Not theft but robbery’: Vote theft anger grips rural Bihar | Ground report
As the state heads towards crucial Assembly elections, the widespread allegations of vote theft and the mobilisation around the Opposition’s ‘Voter Adhikar Yatra’ rally have left a lasting impression on villagers who have expressed discontent.
The Federal Desh visited the rural areas of Bihar to gauge the people’s mood there. When it reached Munger and Khagaria districts in the eastern side of the state, one thing was clear — the issue of omission of names from voter lists has left rural Bihar quite agitated.
The local people have said that the problem is widespread, cutting across villages. The ongoing 'Voter Adhikar Yatra' led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and RJD's Tejashwi Yadav has given it further traction.
- 27 Oct 2025 4:22 PM IST
Bihar SIR: Is EC using ‘citizenship doubts’ to disenfranchise 3 lakh voters? | Capital Beat
In the latest episode of Capital Beat, election data scientist Dr Pyara Lal Garg dissects the Election Commission's controversial move to issue notices to 3 lakh voters in Bihar over dubious citizenship claims.
With Assembly polls approaching, this move raises critical questions about electoral integrity, minority targeting, and institutional accountability.
- 27 Oct 2025 4:18 PM IST
SIR row flags crumbling of cadre infra that once anchored electoral democracy
Bihar’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has triggered one of the sharpest political confrontations in recent years.
Opposition leaders, most prominently Rahul Gandhi, have branded the exercise as a bid at “vote chori” (vote theft), an orchestrated disenfranchisement of vulnerable communities.
The Election Commission (EC) has defended the revision as both lawful and “voter-friendly” while the Supreme Court, though refusing to halt the process, has expressed surprise at the inaction of political parties during the draft-roll stage.
That comment cuts to the heart of the crisis. It is not an isolated bureaucratic episode but a symptom of structural transformations in Indian politics.
- 27 Oct 2025 4:16 PM IST
SC order on Aadhaar in SIR significant, but hiccups remain: Experts | Capital Beat
In this episode of Capital Beat, Dr Pyare Lal Garg and Supreme Court lawyer Neha Rathi examined the Supreme Court’s direction to the Election Commission of India (EC) to accept Aadhaar as the 12th prescribed document for identity in the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar.
The discussion focused on legal validity, field-level compliance, and risks of disenfranchisement during the SIR.
- 27 Oct 2025 4:13 PM IST
Kerala to begin voter roll revision, sparking fears of Bihar-like exclusion
The contentious Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, criticised in poll-bound Bihar for striking off nearly 65 lakh voters, many from minority and marginalised communities, under the pretext of verification of nationality, is now set to be implemented in Kerala.
When that state conducted a similar SIR exercise, nearly 65 lakh voters were removed from the rolls, many of them belonging to minority or socially vulnerable communities. These developments in Bihar have heightened anxieties in Kerala, which will go to the Assembly polls next year.
Migrant workers, who often lack permanent residential records, and non-resident Keralites, who may not possess standard documentation, are viewed as especially vulnerable to exclusion.
- 27 Oct 2025 4:10 PM IST
Centralised vote fraud theory not possible, says ex-CEC Rawat
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s explosive press conference alleging large-scale voter fraud has triggered a heated debate on the functioning of the Election Commission of India (ECI).
In The Federal Capital Beat discussion, former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) OP Rawat was questioned on the allegations of organised voter deletions and additions through a centralised software system.
Responding to allegations, former CEC Rawat maintained that a centralised system to alter voter rolls through the Election Commission’s interface was not possible. He explained that while individuals may misuse systems, institutional-level manipulation could not occur within ECI’s digital framework.
- 27 Oct 2025 4:09 PM IST
SIR: 'Final' Bihar voter roll still a mystery, leaves Grand Alliance baffled
As the Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday (September 30) published the ‘final’ electoral rolls for poll-bound Bihar, the Opposition’s Grand Alliance, which had launched a blistering tirade against the poll panel’s special intensive revision (SIR) of the voter list, had reasons, in equal measure, to both cheer and be wary.
The pre-SIR electoral rolls (as on June 24, 2025), which had 7.89 crore voters, now stand pruned down to 7.42 crore, according to the EC. For the Opposition, this ‘final’ figure is both a mystery and a partial vindication of its sustained criticism of the SIR.
- 27 Oct 2025 4:08 PM IST
Bengal Opposition lags behind TMC in booth-level preparedness for SIR
As the Election Commission (EC) gears up to launch the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, political parties find themselves in a race to strengthen their booth-level presence, a task that has once again exposed the organisational weaknesses of the opposition.
The ruling TMC, despite its vocal criticism of the SIR process, appears to be ahead in mobilisation on the ground, already preparing lists of BLAs across the state to ensure its control over the voter roll revision process.
Even as the TMC strides ahead, the state’s main opposition party, the BJP, is uncertain about appointing BLA-2 agents across all polling booths in the state. Despite public assurances from senior leaders about full participation in the process, the party’s booth-level infrastructure remains inadequate.
- 27 Oct 2025 4:07 PM IST
2026 polls: Are voter rights under threat? | Kerala’s big stand against SIR
Kerala is gearing up for the 2026 assembly elections, but a storm has erupted over the voter list. The special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, already carried out in Bihar, is being seen as a constitutional mandate. Officials argue it will ensure all eligible citizens are included, while weeding out absentee, shifted, and deceased voters.
But political leaders across Kerala warn that the timing and intent behind SIR raise serious doubts, with both ruling and opposition parties uniting to oppose it.
- 27 Oct 2025 4:07 PM IST
SIR in Bengal: How BJP is planning to leverage CAA to reassure refugees
As the Election Commission (EC) prepares to launch a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls by November, the BJP in West Bengal is seeking to strategically leverage the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) both to reassure refugees fearing exclusion from voter lists and to counter political backlash over the ongoing revision process.
Sources within the state BJP said that the party, along with other Hindu right-wing groups, will organise roughly 700 CAA-application assistance camps across nine border districts by October 30.
The initiative aims to allay anxieties in areas dominated by refugee communities, particularly the Matuas, who constitute the saffron party’s main support base in the state.
