On Thursday (19th February), the Election Commission (ECI) asked the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of 22 states and Union Territories to start preparing for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls as soon as possible. The states and UTs include Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh, among others.
The Election Commission stated that although the SIR exercise has been completed in the state of Bihar, it is close to completion in nine other states and three Union Territories. The revision work will now begin in the remaining 17 states and five UTs. In its communication, the Election Commission clearly directed the concerned CEOs to complete all preparatory work related to the revision exercise at the earliest.
The Election Commission has initiated preparatory activities for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in 12 States and Union Territories, scheduled to commence in April 2026. Following Order No. 23/ERS/2025 dated 24.06.2025 and subsequent directives, Chief… pic.twitter.com/ayMbyNJB70
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 19, 2026
The upcoming SIR process will take place alongside the first phase of Census 2027. During this phase, house-listing work is scheduled to be carried out between April and September. The Commission appears to be coordinating the voter list revision with the census exercise to streamline the process.
STORY | Delhi gears up for SIR expected in April, political parties say their preparations complete
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 19, 2026
The training of polling officials has already been completed for a special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Delhi that is likely to begin from April, officials said… pic.twitter.com/MzuggdaTKq
In a letter written to the states and UTs, including Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Maharashtra, Delhi, Punjab, Telangana, and Uttarakhand, among others, the Election Commission reminded them that a nationwide SIR had been ordered in June last year. It had directed all CEOs, except in Bihar, where the exercise had already begun in June 2025, to start pre-revision activities.
After completing the exercise in Bihar, the Commission later announced the SIR in 12 more states and UTs, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, as part of its nationwide revision drive.
