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ECI Launches Special Electoral Roll Revision in Delhi, 21 States from April 2026

The Election Commission of India has initiated the process for a Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in 22 States and Union Territories, including Delhi, scheduled to commence from April 2026. The ECI has written to the Chief Electoral Officers of these regions, directing them to complete all preparatory work in a time-bound manner. This follows an ongoing revision exercise in 13 other states and comes amid reports of significant backlogs, such as approximately 20 lakh voter documents pending re-verification in West Bengal due to "logical discrepancies." The advisory from ECI Secretary Pawan Diwan emphasizes the need for timely completion of pre-revision activities to ensure a smooth process.

Key Points: ECI Special Electoral Roll Revision in 22 States, Delhi from 2026

  • Revision in 22 states/UTs from April 2026
  • ECI directs CEOs for time-bound prep
  • Follows ongoing SIR in 13 states
  • 20 lakh voter documents pending re-verification in Bengal
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ECI to begin special revision of electoral rolls in Delhi, 21 states/UTs from April

Election Commission begins Special Intensive Revision of voter rolls in Delhi and 21 states/UTs from April 2026, directing CEOs to complete prep work.

"Since the Special Intensive Revision... is expected to commence from April 2026, you are requested to complete preparatory work... at the earliest. - Pawan Diwan"

New Delhi, Feb 19

The Election Commission of India has initiated the process for the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in 22 States and Union Territories, including the National Capital Territory of Delhi, from April 2026, as the ongoing revision exercise in 13 States and Union Territories nears completion, an official said on Thursday.

The States and Union Territories where the next round of SIR is scheduled to be undertaken include Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Ladakh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, NCT of Delhi, Odisha, Punjab, Sikkim, Tripura, Telangana, and Uttarakhand.

On Thursday, the ECI wrote to the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of these States and Union Territories, directing them to complete preparatory work related to the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in a time-bound manner.

The advisory issued by Election Commission Secretary Pawan Diwan stated, "Since the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the above States/UTs is expected to commence from April 2026, you are requested to complete preparatory work related to the SIR exercise at the earliest."

Diwan further stated, "The Commission, vide Order No. 23/ERS/2025 dated June 24, 2025, had ordered the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls to be undertaken in all States and Union Territories."

"In continuation of this, the Commission, vide letter No. 23/2025-ERS (Vol. II) dated July 5, 2025, directed all Chief Electoral Officers, except Bihar, to initiate pre-revision activities for the SIR exercise. Subsequently, through a letter dated October 27, 2025, the Commission announced the Special Intensive Revision exercise in 12 States and Union Territories, which is currently underway," the advisory stated.

Earlier reports from Kolkata indicated that with just three days left before the deadline for scrutiny of voters' documents submitted during hearing sessions on claims and objections to the draft electoral rolls, around 20 lakh voter documents remain pending re-verification by District Electoral Officers (DEOs).

Sources in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal, said that the majority of these documents pending re-verification fall under cases involving "logical discrepancies."

"The micro-observers noticed abnormalities in these documents during the ongoing scrutiny process. In such cases, the documents submitted by the concerned voters did not match the 13 documents mandated by the Election Commission of India as valid identity proofs," a source said.

"Based on the recommendations of the micro-observers, these documents were returned to the District Electoral Officers for re-verification. The Commission had also directed the concerned DEOs to complete the re-verification process and submit their reports to the Commission at the earliest," the source added.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Good to see Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh included in this revision. Ensuring every eligible citizen in these regions is on the list is crucial for their full participation in our democracy. Jai Hind!
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Aman W
The process seems well-planned, starting in April 2026 gives ample time. But the article mentions "logical discrepancies" in 20 lakh documents in Bengal. This is concerning. The ECI must be strict and transparent to maintain the integrity of the roll.
S
Sarah B
As someone who recently moved to Delhi for work, I'm glad the NCT is included. I need to check how to get my address updated on the voter ID. These revisions are essential for migrants like us.
K
Karthik V
Respectfully, while the intention is good, the execution on the ground is often slow. Hope the CEOs in all these states take the ECI's "time-bound manner" direction seriously. We've seen delays in the past which affect the election schedule.
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Nisha Z
Including all northeastern states is a positive sign. Often, remote areas get overlooked. My cousin in Mizoram always complains about voter list issues. Hope this intensive revision reaches every booth level worker properly.

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