ECI launches Phase 2 of voter list revision across 12 States and UTs; final list on February 7

The Election Commission of India (ECI) will initiate the second phase of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in 12 States and Union Territories (UTs), and the final voter roll will be published on February 7, 2026, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar declared on Monday, ANI reported.

Replying to a press conference in New Delhi, the CEC stated that the exercise will be undertaken for Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

Revision process timeline

The timing of the revision process will be as follows according to the Election Commission:

Printing and training: October 28 – November 3, 2025

Enumeration Phase: November – December 4, 2025

Draft Electoral Rolls publication: 9th December, 2025

Claims and objections period: 9th December, 2025 – 8th January, 2026

Notice Phase (hearing and verification): 9th December, 2025 – 31st January, 2026

Final Electoral Rolls publication: 7th February, 2026

Kumar confirmed, "The second phase of SIR will now be carried out in 12 States and UTs."

Aadhaar among documents for verification, but not proof of citizenship

As per Supreme Court guidelines, the ECI has also added Aadhaar in the list of 12 indicative documents, following the Court's September 9 order regarding the SIR in Bihar.

Clarifying the function of Aadhaar, CEC Kumar said- "The Supreme Court has issued a clear ruling that Aadhaar must be utilized as per the Aadhaar Act. Section 9 of the Act makes it clear that Aadhaar is not domicile or citizenship proof, and the Court has also laid down that it is not proof of date of birth."

He went on to say, "Even if you get a new Aadhaar card today, it states that it is not evidence of date of birth, domicile, or citizenship. Aadhaar is just an identification proof and can be utilized for e-signing as well."

Voter rolls to be freezed at midnight

The voter rolls of all 12 States and UTs included in this SIR are to be freezed from midnight, the CEC stated.

All electors on that roll will be issued Unique Enumeration Forms by the Booth Level Officers (BLOs), which will contain all information from the existing voter list," Kumar said.

Individuals whose names are listed in the 2003 voter roll or whose parents' names were listed on that roll do not have to furnish supporting documents. Voter lists for SIR for 2002, 2003, and 2004 will be made open at voters.eci.gov.in, where citizens can verify and match details themselves.

BLOs to visit homes up to three times

Learning from its experience in Bihar, the ECI has instructed that BLOs will visit each household up to three times for matching and linking of voter information.

"If the elector is not available or there is a lag, BLOs will visit three times," Kumar explained. "Electors may even submit forms online. If the name of the individual or his parents does not feature in the 2003 voter list, then the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) will decide on eligibility based on other indicative documents."

Read Also: ECI likely to declare today SIR dates for 2026 Assembly poll-bound states, including Bengal

Political parties to be briefed on the process

State Chief Electoral Officers will meet with political parties to clarify the SIR process. Political party BLAs will be permitted to pick up a maximum of 50 signed enumeration forms and take them to BLOs for verification.

To provide smoother management during polls, the ECI has set the limit at 1,200 electors per booth.

"Not exceeding 1,200 electors will be allocated to a polling station to prevent overloading," CEC Kumar said. "We are rationalising 1,200 polling stations and making new ones in high-rise buildings, gated communities, and slum clusters." He added.

Once the final roll is published, any voter or dweller can approach District Magistrates (DMs) and, if needed, seek a second appeal before the State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) within 15 days.

Why the ECI is undertaking phase-wise SIR

Clarifying the reason behind the exercise, Kumar averred that problems like migration, voters enrolled at more than one location, names not struck off upon death, and enlistment of foreign nationals led the Commission to undertake a phase-wise revision all over the country.

"The SIR will see that each rightful voter is on the electoral roll and all unwanted names are struck off," he added.

Preparatory conference conducted earlier this month

Earlier this month, the Election Commission conducted a two-day Conference of Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) on October 22–23 at the India International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Management (IIIDEM) in New Delhi to examine preparedness for the SIR.

This was preceded by CEC Gyanesh Kumar's October 6 announcement of a Special Intensive Revision at the all-India level to tighten the completeness and accuracy of India's voter roll.