The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced Phase 2 of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, to be conducted across 12 states and Union Territories, including Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry.
The decision follows the first SIR in Bihar, which led to the removal of nearly 80 lakh names from voter rolls after identifying duplicate and invalid entries, prompting both administrative praise and political controversy.
The ECI emphasised that SIR is a non-political, transparency-driven initiative aimed at cleaning voter lists. Opposition parties, however, have raised concerns about potential misuse before upcoming state elections.
SIR Phase 2 Announced: Voter Roll Revision To Cover 12 States And UTs, Including West Bengal And Tamil Nadu
CEC said that the decision follows detailed deliberations with 36 State Election Commissioners in the wake of the recently‐completed SIR exercise in poll‐bound Bihar.
Summary
The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced on Monday that the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls will be carried out across 12 states and Union Territories.
During a special media briefing, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said the decision follows detailed deliberations with 36 State Election Commissioners in the wake of the recently‐completed SIR exercise in poll‐bound Bihar.
"Training of polling officials for Phase-II of SIR to begin on Tuesday. All Chief Electoral Officers and District Electoral Officers have been directed to meet political parties and brief them on the SIR process by day after tomorrow,” CEC Kumar said.
The earlier Bihar exercise flagged significant anomalies: approximately 65 lakh voters’ names were removed, while the total number of deletions and exclusions neared 80 lakh as the roll‐revision identified suspected duplicate entries and fictitious addresses.
SIR is an intensive, door‐to‐door verification drive, conducted outside the regular schedule, aimed at ensuring the accuracy, completeness and integrity of electoral registers by removing ineligible entries and deaths and verifying addresses.
In outlining the next phase, the Commission said states such as Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Assam and the UT of Puducherry are among those where SIR will be carried out in the coming months.
The Commission emphasised that the exercise is not politically motivated, but rather a key instrument in preventing electoral malpractices and strengthening the democratic process. However, the Bihar SIR triggered criticism from opposition parties who alleged that the roll‐revision was manipulated ahead of elections to exclude segments of voters favourable to them — a charge the ECI has firmly rejected.
The Commission stressed that the same procedures and verification protocols will be followed in the next phase to maintain transparency and uniformity.
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