Election Commission Sets Stage for National Voter List Overhaul

In a significant electoral move, the Election Commission (EC) is poised to launch the first phase of a nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists across 10 to 15 states starting next week. This crucial update will coincide with forthcoming state elections in key regions.

States such as Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and West Bengal, which are slated for elections in 2026, will be among the initial focus areas for voter list purification. Notably, states engaged in local body polls will be exempt from this phase and tackled in subsequent rounds.

The EC has already marked a milestone in Bihar, where the updated voter list was published with an extensive 7.42 crore names. The exercise targets tracking illegal migrants and ensuring accurate voter representation, resonating with recent state-level crackdowns on undocumented residents.