ECI Begins Phase III of Special Intensive Revision Covering 36.73 Crore Voters

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched the Phase III of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) across the 16 states and 3 Union Territories to update electoral rolls. This large scale exercise aims to ensure the accurate voter data and it also strengthen the democratic process. In this phase total 36 crore electors are involved and this initiative includes house to house verification.

What Is Special Intensive Revision (SIR)?

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is the detailed process conducted by the ECI to,

• Update electoral rolls
• Add new eligible voters
• Remove the duplicate or ineligible entries
• Correct voter details

This ensures that elections are conducted with the accurate and transparent voter lists.

Phase III: Coverage and Scale of the Exercise

Phase III of SIR is being conducted in the 16 States and 3 Union Territories.

Key Highlights

• It covers the 36.73 crore electors.
• Also involves 3.94 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
• They will be supported by 3.42 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs).

This phase will cover almost the entire country except Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.

How the Revision Process Will Work

The SIR process is designed to be participative and transparent in nature.

Steps Involved

• The preparation & Training of officials
• House to house verification by BLOs
• The draft electoral roll publication
• Filing of the claims and objections
• Final electoral roll publication

During the enumeration phase BLOs will visit the households to verify voter details.

Role of BLOs and BLAs

Booth Level Officers (BLOs)

They are government appointed officials, conducts door to door verification and update the voter details.

Booth Level Agents (BLAs)

They are appointed by political parties which ensure transparency and assist in verification and monitoring.

The ECI has urged all the political parties to appoint BLAs for every polling booth.

Important Dates and Timeline (Phase III)

The schedule of this phase varies by state but the key timelines includes,

• Qualifying Dates: July 1, 2026/October 1, 2026
• House Visits: May to July 2026 (varies by region)
• Draft Roll Publication: July–August 2026
• Claims & Objections: Up to October–December 2026
• Final Roll Publication: September to December 2026

This phased timeline ensures the coordination with the ongoing Census house listing process.

States Covered Under Phase III

Major states and UTs included are,

• Maharashtra
• Karnataka
• Telangana
• Andhra Pradesh
• Punjab
• Odisha
• Delhi
• Jharkhand
• Uttarakhand
• Northeast states like Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura

These regions collectively account for the significant portion of India’s electorate.