Election Commission Of India

Bengal SIR: SC allows Jharkhand, Odisha judicial officers for verification

SC permits deployment of additional judges to speed up Bengal's voter roll revision and allows the Election Commission to publish the final rolls on February 28 as verification continues

Home ministry allots 50 companies of CAPF to poll-bound Tamil Nadu

The Ministry of Home Affairs has allotted an initial 50 companies of the CAPF to Tamil Nadu as a proactive security measure ahead of the 2026 state assembly elections. Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik said the initial batch of 50 companies of the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) would be inducted on March 10, 2026. "50 companies of the CAPF have been initially allotted to Tamil Nadu by Ministry of Home Affairs, New Delhi, for area domination, confidence-building measures in connection with the General Elections to the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly," an official release from the Chief Electoral Officer said on Tuesday. The Assembly elections are expected to be held in April 2026 to elect all 234 members of the Legislative Assembly in Tamil Nadu and neighbouring Puducherry.

How 9 states and UTs have fared after SIR culling: A reading of key figures

Final electoral rolls show sharp voter deletions across states, with Gujarat seeing the biggest cut and Kerala the lowest after the Special Intensive Revision

Rajasthan finalises electoral rolls with over 51.5 million voters after SIR

Rajasthan has finalised its electoral rolls with more than 5.15 crore voters following the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, officials said on Saturday. According to an official release, the final electoral roll published on February 21 comprises 5,15,19,929 electors across 199 Assembly constituencies. The exercise forms part of the Election Commission's periodic roll-purification and youth-enrolment drive in preparation for future elections. Officials said the exercise recorded a net increase of 10,48,605 electors (2.08 per cent) between draft and final publication. Of the total voters, 2,69,57,881 are male, 2,45,61,486 are female, and 562 belong to the third gender category. The gender ratio improved from 909 to 911 during the revision period. The number of young voters in the 18-19 age group rose by 4,35,061, reflecting intensified enrolment efforts among first-time voters. The revision was carried out between October 27, 2025 and February 21, 2026, ..

Andaman deletes 5,269 names as final voter roll released after SIR

Andaman and Nicobar Islands saw the removal of 5,269 names from the draft electoral roll, as the final voters list was published after the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) on Saturday, officials said. The final electoral roll released by the Chief Electoral Office (CEO) has a total of 2,58,040 electors, they said. The revision was carried out from October 27 last year to February 21. Out of the 3,10,404 electors enrolled in the Electoral Roll as on October 27, 2025, a total of 64,014 ineligible electors have been removed in the draft roll. "Subsequently, the statutory period for filing Claims and Objections was conducted, during which 16,919 were added and 5,269 ineligible electors were deleted," according to a statement by the CEO's office. As on February 21, 2026, the updated and validated list has names of 2,58,040 electors, it said. Of the total number of 2,58,040 voters, 4,070 are in the 18-19 age group, 2,252 are marked as Persons with Disabilities, and 67

EC publishes final MP electoral roll: 5.39 cr voters, 3.4 mn dropped

The Election Commission of India on Saturday published the final electoral roll for Madhya Pradesh after a nearly four-month-long Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, deleting over 34 lakh names from the list. The state now has more than 5.39 crore voters, as per the final electoral roll. According to the data released by the EC, Madhya Pradesh had 5,74,06,143 voters before SIR began in October last year. While the number stood at 5,31,31,983 voters after the draft roll was published, the final figure rose to 5,39,81,065. The Election Commission said 34,25,078 names, about 6 per cent of the number before SIR, were deleted on grounds of absence, death, migration and duplication. Officials said the final electoral roll comprises 2,79,04,975 male voters, 2,60,75,186 female voters and 904 electors from the third gender. State Chief Electoral Officer Sanjeev Kumar Jha said at a press conference that the EC has also shared a website link enabling the public to check their names i

Kerala final electoral roll out following SIR; voter count at 26.9 million

The ECI on Saturday published the final electoral roll in Kerala after the SIR exercise, with the total number of voters in the state standing over 2.69 crore. The Election Commission of India (ECI) shared a link - http://electoralsearch.eci.gov.in - that enables the public to check their names on the updated list. According to data released by the ECI at a press meet here on Friday, the fresh electoral roll has 2,69,53,644 voters, compared to 2,78,50,855 prior to the commencement of the SIR in October last year. As many as 8,97,211 voters have been removed following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, the ECI said. In the revised list, the total number of male voters is 1,31,26,048, female voters 1,38,27,319, and transgender voters - 277, officials said. The number of overseas voters in the updated roll is 2,23,558, while service voters stand at 54,110. ECI officials said that 36.88 lakh voters were issued notices for hearing as part of the SIR proceedings, and 53,229

EC to visit TN, Puducherry from Feb 25 to 27 to assess poll preparedness

The Election Commission, led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, will visit Tamil Nadu and Puducherry from February 25 to 27 to assess poll preparedness in the state and the Union territory where assembly elections are likely to be held in April. Besides Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, assembly polls are due in Assam, Kerala and West Bengal. The Election Commission (EC) visited Assam this week to assess poll preparedness. CEC Kumar told reporters in Guwahati that the EC would finalise the poll schedule for the northeastern state keeping in mind the festival of Bihu, which falls on April 14. It is usual for the EC to visit states where polls are due before announcing the election schedule. The terms of the five assemblies end on different dates in May and June. While the five-year term of the Puducherry Assembly ends on June 15, the terms of Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal assemblies end on May 20, 23, 10 and 7, respectively. Last time, assembly polls in West

EC asks 22 states, UTs to prepare for next phase of SIR expected in April

The Election Commission on Thursday asked 22 states and Union Territories to complete preparatory work related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) at the earliest as the exercise is "expected to start from April". Once the exercise is completed, all states and UTs will be covered. In a letter to the chief electoral officers of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Ladakh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Delhi, Odisha, Punjab, Sikkim, Tripura, Telangana and Uttarakhand, the poll authority said pan-India SIR of voters' list was ordered in June last year. In Bihar, the SIR exercise was completed and is ongoing in nine states and three UTs. In Assam, a 'special revision', instead of SIR, was completed on February 10.

ECI announces schedule for biennial Rajya Sabha polls across 10 states

The polling is scheduled to take place on March 16, with the counting of votes on the same day at 5 pm. The election process will be completed by March 20

EC suspends 7 West Bengal officials for serious misconduct amid ongoing SIR

Using its powers under the electoral law, the Election Commission has suspended seven officials in West Bengal with immediate effect for serious misconduct, dereliction of duty and misuse of statutory powers in connection with SIR. All the suspended officers were working as assistant electoral registration officers for the EC. Booth-level and electoral registration officers and their assistants are state government employees who work on deputation for the EC to update the voters' list and help hold elections. Quoting orders, EC officials said the poll authority has directed state Chief Secretary Nandini Chakravarty that disciplinary proceedings be initiated against these officials by their respective cadre controlling authorities immediately, without any delay and the Commission be apprised in this regard. The EC and the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal have been at loggerheads over the ongoing special intensive revision of the voters' list.

Final voter lists delayed in 9 states, UTs; Puducherry, Lakshadweep publish

Nine states and three Union territories have missed the original deadline to publish their final electoral rolls as part of the ongoing special intensive revision of voters' list. However, the Union territories of Lakshdweep and Puducherry came out with their final rolls on Saturday as part of the Election Commission's ambitious phase two of voters' list cleanup exercise. According to Puducherry's chief electoral officer, the Union territory has 9,44,211 electors in the final voters' list. Lakshadweep has 57,607 electors according to the final voters' list. Announced on October 27 last year, the phase two of the special intensive revision covers a combined electorate of nearly 51 crore in these states and Union Territories. The exercise was to conclude on February 7 with the publication of final electoral rolls. While the deadline was missed, Lakshdweep and Puducherry on Saturday came out with their respective electoral rolls. Rajasthan too was to come up with its final rolls on

SIR discrepancy hearings in Bengal end; final rolls to be released Feb 28

The hearing for 'logical discrepancy' cases in the SIR exercise concluded across West Bengal on Saturday, a senior EC official said, adding that the the final electoral rolls is scheduled to be published on February 28. The hearings, which addressed omissions and inconsistencies in name spellings, began on December 27 and continued across the state at camps set up in schools, club rooms and administrative buildings. "The poll officials will now scrutinise documents till February 21, and the final electoral rolls is slated for publication on February 28," the official said. Any pending data for Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) must be uploaded by Monday. During the enumeration exercise, around 58 lakh names (deceased/duplicate/shifted voters) were referred as fit for omission and kept out of the draft electoral rolls published in December. The last date of publication of the final electoral rolls was February 14, which was later extended by the EC to February 28.

Assam completes electoral roll revision; 586K names added, 243K deleted

Assam's Chief Electoral Officer explained that, unlike the usual process, the recent exercise involved door-to-door verification to proactively identify eligible voters and collect necessary forms

ECI defers publication of Goa SIR's final electoral roll to Feb 21

The final electoral rolls of Goa, as part of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters' list, will be published on February 21 instead of February 14, the Election Commission (EC) said on Wednesday. In a letter to the state chief electoral officer, the EC said "... final publication of electoral roll in respect of special intensive revision (SIR) ... shall be done on February 21, 2026 (Saturday)". It asked the CEO to inform political parties and other stakeholders accordingly. While the draft rolls were published on December 16 last year, the final rolls were slated to be published on Saturday. Of the 11.85 lakh electors in the draft rolls, 10.84 were included in the draft list, while another 1.01 lakh were put in the ASD (absent, shifted, dead/duplicate) category.

Won't allow impediments to SIR, says SC; extends Bengal voter list deadline

The top court extended the deadline for publication of the final voter list in West Bengal by one week

EC says permanent resident certificate is valid document under SIR 2026

The Election Commission of India has clarified that Permanent Resident Certificate is one of the admissible documents for determining eligibility under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, an official said on Saturday. In a communication to the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) sent on Friday, the Commission referred to earlier correspondence dated January 1 and January 12, 2026, and stated that the SIR guidelines issued on October 27, 2025, explicitly include the Permanent Resident Certificate as a valid document, he said. The Commission said that Domicile or Permanent Resident Certificates in West Bengal are issued in accordance with a state government letter dated November 2, 1999, and subsequent orders issued thereunder. It clarified that Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), as competent statutory authorities under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, shall accept .

West Bengal CEO asks ECI to extend SIR electoral roll hearings by 7 days

West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal on Saturday requested the Election Commission of India to extend the final date of hearing under SIR of electoral rolls by seven days, after several district election officers reported delays in completion of hearings, verification, and data uploading. The deadline for the hearing under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was February 7. Agarwal told reporters that the appeal was made following inputs from seven to eight districts where different stages of the process were still pending. "I have appealed to extend the last date of hearing for seven days after receiving inputs from seven to eight district election officers. In some places, the process of hearing is yet to be over, while in others uploading, verification, and final decisions by the AEROs and EROs are still pending," Agarwal said. He said if allowed, hearings will now continue till February 14, adding that the final electoral roll, which was earlier

SIR in Telangana expected to be announced during April-May, says CEO

Telangana CEO C Sudharsan Reddy has said that the SIR of electoral rolls in the state is expected to be announced during AprilMay this year. Addressing a meeting with representatives of recognised political parties on Thursday, he said Booth Level Agents (BLAs) should preferably be drawn from the local area of the polling station and work in close coordination with Booth Level Officers. The Chief Electoral Officer informed the parties that the SIR is currently underway in 12 states, and that the schedule for the remaining states, including Telangana, is expected to be announced during AprilMay 2026. Given the limited time available for the revision once notified, he said preparatory work had already commenced in the state, a release quoting him late on Thursday said. Political parties were urged to appoint at least one BLA for every polling station ahead of the forthcoming SIR of electoral rolls, with the Chief Electoral Officer stressing that strong booth-level coordination would

West Bengal govt moves resolution in assembly over 'hardships' due to SIR

The West Bengal government on Thursday moved a resolution in the assembly over alleged hardships being faced by people due to the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Moving the resolution under Rule 169, State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shovandeb Chattopadhyay claimed that the SIR process led to harassment of voters and the death of 107 people due to anxiety over the exercise. Criticising the Election Commission, he asserted it had "turned into a commission of harassment" ahead of the assembly polls in the state. Speaker Biman Banerjee, however, rejected the proposal, contending that since the matter was pending before the apex court, the assembly could not deliberate on it.