NewKerala.com

ECI Directs 22 States to Prep for 2026 Electoral Roll Revision

The Election Commission of India has directed Chief Electoral Officers in 22 states and union territories to complete preparatory work for the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. This phase is scheduled to commence in April 2026. Concurrently, the ECI has announced the schedule for biennial Rajya Sabha elections to fill 37 seats across 10 states, with polling set for March 16, 2026. The commission has specified the use of integrated violet colour sketch pens for marking ballot preferences in these elections.

Key Points: ECI Directs 22 States for Electoral Roll Revision Phase 2

  • ECI directs 22 states/UTs
  • Prep for Phase 2 of electoral roll revision
  • Revision to begin April 2026
  • Rajya Sabha polls scheduled for March 2026
2 min read

ECI directs 22 states, UTs to complete preparatory work for next phase of SIR

ECI orders 22 states & UTs to complete prep work for the second phase of Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, starting April 2026.

"complete preparatory activities... at the earliest to ensure a smooth rollout - Election Commission of India"

New Delhi, February 19

The Election Commission of India on Thursday directed Chief Electoral Officers of 22 States and Union Territories to complete preparatory work for the second phase of upcoming Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, which is expected to begin in April 2026.

The letter has been addressed to Chief Electoral Officers of 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, the NCT of Delhi, Odisha, Punjab, Sikkim, Tripura, Telangana, and Uttarakhand.

The ECI has requested that all preparatory activities related to the revision exercise be completed at the earliest to ensure a smooth rollout of the process from April 2026.

Currently, a nationwide SIR is being carried out in 12 states and union territories.

These states and UTs are: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Earlier, ECI announced the schedule for the upcoming biennial elections to the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) to fill the 37 seats across 10 states, as the members are set to complete their term in April 2026, a press note stated.

According to the press note, the term of 37 members who were elected from Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana will conclude in the month of April, vacating the seats for new members to be elected.

The notification will be issued on February 26, commencing the election process. The last date of nominations is March 5, followed by scrutiny on March 6. The candidates can withdraw their nominations till March 9.

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.

The ECI has instructed that only integrated violet colour sketch pens must be used for marking the preferences on the ballot paper.

- ANI

Share this article:

Reader Comments

P
Priya S
I appreciate the detailed planning, but I hope the focus is also on removing duplicate and ineligible voters from the rolls. Accuracy is just as important as inclusivity. The violet pen rule for Rajya Sabha polls seems like a small but important step to prevent tampering.
A
Aman W
As someone from one of the states in the second phase (Maharashtra), I'm glad we're getting a head start. Hope the booth-level officers are well-trained. Last time, there was some confusion in my area during the revision.
S
Sarah B
Interesting to see the phased approach. It makes sense to manage such a massive exercise. The inclusion of J&K and Ladakh in this phase is noteworthy. Hope the process there is conducted smoothly and encourages high participation.
V
Vikram M
The timeline seems tight for the Rajya Sabha elections next month! Notification on 26th Feb and polling on 16th March. Let's see which big names are in the fray, especially for the seats from states like Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.
N
Nisha Z
My only request to ECI: Please make the voter registration and correction process more user-friendly on the website and app. Sometimes the portals are slow or confusing for common people like my parents. Otherwise, good initiative for our democracy.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50