Election Commission extends deadline for roll revision under SIR in 6 states; Bengal's date unchanged

On Thursday, the Election Commission released an updated Special Intensive Revision (SIR) schedule for Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in response to requests from Chief Electoral Officers. In the previous revised schedule, the Enumeration Period for these six States/Union Territories was set to conclude on December 11, with the draft Electoral Rolls originally scheduled for publication on December 16.

Reports of alleged irregularities in various states prompted the previous extension of all phases of the SIR. These reports included instances of enumeration forms being submitted by ineligible individuals or illegal Bangladeshi immigrants using the names of deceased electors, as well as the misuse of login credentials belonging to deceased Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to upload Enumeration Forms signed in the names of deceased voters.

This timeline extension does not apply to West Bengal, where the deadline for the submission and digitisation of enumeration forms in the ongoing SIR will conclude at midnight on Thursday.

As of Wednesday night, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has identified a total of 57,52,207 voters in West Bengal as excludable. Among these, 24,14,750 are deceased voters, followed by 19,89,914 who have shifted their residence, and 11,57,889 who are untraceable.

The remaining individuals are duplicate voters or those classified as excludable for other reasons.

According to the list dated October 27, the total number of voters stands at 7,66,37,529. The SIR process commenced on November 4, with the draft voters’ list scheduled for publication on December 16, and the final voters’ list to be published on February 14.

Following this, the ECI is anticipated to announce the polling dates for the Assembly elections in the state.

State-wise status

As per the updated schedule, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat are now required to submit their SIRs by December 19, 2025 (Friday), instead of the previous deadline of December 14, 2025 (Sunday).

Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands have been allotted time until December 23, 2025 (Tuesday), replacing the former deadline of December 18, 2025 (Thursday).

Uttar Pradesh, which had the latest original deadline, will now submit its SIR on December 31, 2025 (Wednesday), rather than December 26, 2025 (Friday).

Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa stated that the state had requested the Election Commission of India for an additional two weeks to complete the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in a systematic manner and to ensure the electoral roll is accurate and up-to-date. He mentioned that the extension was requested to enable district election officers to re-verify the details of deceased, relocated, and absent voters.

Rinwa further noted that the ECI has extended the previously announced SIR schedule in Uttar Pradesh by 15 days, based on the eligibility date of January 1, 2026, and has issued revised timelines accordingly.

According to the revised schedule, the counting period will extend until December 26, 2025. The draft publication of electoral rolls is now scheduled for December 31, 2025. The timeframe for filing claims and objections has been established from December 31, 2025, to January 30, 2026.

From December 31 to February 21, 2026, authorities will address notices, verify enumeration forms, and resolve claims and objections. The final publication of Uttar Pradesh’s electoral roll is now set to be released on February 28, 2026.

Previously, on November 30th, the Election Commission of India had extended the SIR schedule by one week in 12 States and Union Territories, providing voters with additional time to ensure their names are accurately included in the electoral rolls ahead of the forthcoming elections.