Nationwide SIR set to begin next week; TN, Bengal in first phase

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is expected to announce on Monday the schedule for the first phase of the nationwide special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, beginning with around 10 to 15 states and Union territories, including poll-bound Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, officials said on Saturday.

- Vrinda Tulsian

The pan-India exercise, aimed at weeding out discrepancies and verifying voters’ credentials, will begin next week in states and UTS where assembly elections are due in early 2026, including Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and West Bengal.

According to officials, ECI will exclude states where local body elections are currently underway or imminent, as the election machinery there is engaged in poll duties. The SIR in such regions will be scheduled in subsequent phases, they added.