Phase-2 of SIR: Over 37 crore enumeration forms distributed so far

More than 37 crore or 72.66 per cent of enumeration forms have been distributed to electors in 12 states and Union territories so far as part of the Special Intensive Revision exercise being undertaken by the Election Commission.

The ambitious voters list clean-up exercise in nine states and three UTs will cover nearly 51 crore electors.

In a bulletin issued on Wednesday, the poll authority said that for more than 7.66 crore electors in West Bengal, 6.80 crore or 88.8 per cent of enumeration forms have so far been distributed.

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the 12 states and UTs is being held between November and February next year.

The states and UTs are: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Among these, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and West Bengal will go to polls in 2026.

In Assam, where elections are also due in 2026, the revision of electoral rolls will be announced separately.

Phase-II of the SIR exercise began on November 4 with the enumeration stage and will continue till December 4.

The EC will release the draft electoral rolls on December 9, and the final rolls will be published on February 7.

According to the bulletin issued by the EC, in Tamil Nadu, out of 6.41 crore electors, forms have been distributed to more than five crore electors.

The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and the DMK in Tamil Nadu have opposed the SIR exercise, claiming it will disenfranchise eligible citizens for want of documents.

The EC has included the voters' list of Bihar published after the special intensive revision and Aadhaar card in the list of indicative documents people will have to submit in the 12 states and UTs.

In its instructions issued to the chief electoral officers of the states and UTs, the poll authority said electoral registration officers will issue notices to those electors whose previous SIR details provided in the enumeration forms are either not available or do not match the database.

The elector, it said, can provide the documents based on the different categories after the form distribution stage, when asked.