Oppn continues attack on Centre over SIR

The Opposition parties on Tuesday continued their attack on the NDA-led central government over the launch of the second phase of the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across 12 states and Union territories, and called the move a "serious challenge to the democratic process".

- HTC and agencies

The Election Commission of India (ECI) had on Monday announced that the enumeration process will cover Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Puducherry, Kerala, and West Bengal, which are due for assembly elections in 2026. The remaining states and UTs are Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

The process will begin on November 4. Draft rolls will be published on December 9, and final rolls on February 7, 2026.

The announcement has since triggered a political slugfest with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party welcoming the announcement but major opposition parties criticising the move In a statement issued on Tuesday, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said the move raised doubts about ECI's intentions and warned that it could undermine public trust in electoral system.

"With Kerala slated to hold local body polls soon, the state's chief electoral officer had informed the ECI that conducting the SIR would be impossible.