Special Intensive Revision – Phase III
Why in News?
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has officially announced the schedule for Phase III of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The massive nationwide exercise begins on May 30, 2026, expanding voter list verification across 16 States and 3 Union Territories.
Geographic Coverage
- 16 Participating States: Includes Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab, Telangana, Odisha, Haryana, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Mizoram, Sikkim, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, and Andhra Pradesh.
- 3 Union Territories: Covers Delhi, Chandigarh, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (DNH & DD).
- Excluded Regions: Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh are excluded for now due to local weather conditions and distinct Census phases.
- Completed Regions: Earlier phases already successfully mapped 13 States and UTs, including Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Bihar, and Gujarat.
Scale and Field Operations
- Target Electors: Phase III alone will manually verify the eligibility of 36.73 crore electors.
- Field Machinery: Over 3.94 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will conduct comprehensive, door-to-door physical verification.
- Political Oversight: Over 3.42 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by political parties will supervise to ensure transparency.
- Previous Scale: Phases I and II collectively deployed over 6.3 lakh BLOs to inspect 59 crore voters across the country.
Core Focus Areas
- Eliminating Multiples: Permanently removing duplicates, ghost entries, and individuals who have permanently shifted locations.
- First-Time Voters: Fast-tracking the manual and digital registration of newly eligible youth and left-out eligible citizens.
- Data Correction: Updating incorrect voter photographs, misspelled names, and changed addresses.
- Citizenship Declarations: Mandatory 'declaration forms' require specific outer-state applicants to establish their Indian place and date of birth.
Key Timeline & Phased Implementation
- Launch Date: Administrative preparation, training, and form printing commence on May 20, 2026.
- Door-to-Door Window: Physical verification by BLOs begins on May 30, 2026, rolling continuously into later months depending on state schedules.
- Draft Publication: Verified voter records will be compiled and published as draft electoral rolls starting July 2026 for public review.
- Final Rollout: Claims, adjustments, and disputes will be resolved in stages, leading to final voter list publications between September and December 2026.
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