Raipur
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar has announced that a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, modeled after the successful process in Bihar, will be launched in Chhattisgarh and 11 other states starting October 28. With this, the voter list in these states will be frozen effective tonight. In Chhattisgarh alone, there are 28 million registered voters.
The Election Commission outlined that the SIR process will update existing rolls, register new voters, and correct errors and anomalies. This is the second phase of SIR implementation, following its nationwide debut in Bihar which saw a zero-complaint record.
Before the official start, Chhattisgarh’s district collectors had already conducted a table-top exercise, comparing current and previous rolls under the direction of the State Election Commissioner. Implementation will now accelerate following the CEC’s directive.
Voter Demographics and Previous Exercises
As per officials, Chhattisgarh had 21,105,391 voters as of January 1, 2025, including
• 10,427,842 men
• 10,676,821 women
• 728 third-gender voters
yielding a sex ratio of 1024.
Table-top exercises have already been completed to prepare for the SIR rollout in all districts.
The last comprehensive SIR countrywide was conducted 21 years ago. Emphasizing its importance ahead of upcoming elections, the CEC said the process would ensure all eligible voters are added and ineligible names removed.
Having proven effective in Bihar, the Commission will expand SIR in 12 states and UTs, focusing on Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, and Puducherry which go to polls by May 2026.
Objectives and Procedures
A key aim of SIR is to identify and exclude illegal foreign nationals, such as those from Bangladesh and Myanmar, from the rolls.
SIR as the final cutoff date for electoral rolls, mirroring Bihar’s 2003 model, will apply.
Most states last conducted SIR between 2002 and 2004;
• Delhi did so in 2008
• Uttarakhand in 2006
Where local body elections are ongoing, SIR will be postponed to avoid overburdening ground staff.
As part of SIR:
• All eligible new voters will be enrolled
• Names of deceased or shifted voters will be removed
• The list will be made transparent and accurate
A dispute over SIR in Bihar is currently pending in the Supreme Court.
SIR Schedule and Staff Deployment
Process Dates Printing Training Oct 28 – Nov 3, 2025 House-to-House Enumeration Nov 4 – Dec 4, 2025 Draft Voter List Publication Dec 9, 2025 Claims & Objections Dec 9, 2025 – Jan 8, 2026 Hearings & Verification Dec 9, 2025 – Jan 31, 2026 Final List Publication Feb 7, 2026
State departments are deploying staff in advance for SIR duties.
In Bhopal, nearly all district malaria office employees have been assigned responsibilities before Diwali.
Why Special Intensive Revision?
• Conducted every 22 years on average
• Ensures no duplicate names and no ineligible persons
• Matches current entries with 2003-04 records
• Document verification only for mismatches
Bihar’s SIR documentation standards will apply nationally.
Requirements for New or Migrant Voters
Birth Timeline Required Proof Before July 1, 1987 Birth Certificate Jul 1, 1987 – Dec 2, 2004Parental Citizenship ProofAfter 2004 At least one parent must be Indian national, and the other not an illegal migrant
Documents and Process
• No documents required during door-to-door enumeration
• Forms will be distributed by BLOs
• Only those with record mismatches will need to submit proof
