ECI to begin major voter list update in 10 states today

October 27, 2025 Hot from the Oven Valli Sarvani

The Election Commission of India (ECI) will announce the schedule for a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in at least ten states today, October 27.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar will address a press conference at 4:15 p.m., where the SIR plan will be the main highlight.

Although the poll body’s invitation did not specify the topic, officials confirmed that the voter roll revision programme will dominate the briefing, as per sources.

The first phase is expected to include 10 to 15 states, especially those heading for Assembly elections in 2026.

States preparing for elections next year include Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Assam, and Puducherry.

The ECI has already held two consultations with state Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) to finalise the SIR framework and timeline.

In Bihar, the final electoral list, updated as of September 30, contains around 7.42 crore registered voters.

The state will vote in two phases on November 6 and 11, and the results will be announced on November 14.

However, the Commission will defer the revision process in states where local body elections are taking place. This allows the poll teams to focus on ongoing election duties without overlap.

Several states have made archived voter lists publicly accessible. For example, the 2008 roll is available on Delhi’s CEO website, while Uttarakhand offers the 2006 version.

Most states carried out their last major voter list updates between 2002 and 2004. These records now serve as reference points for comparing and verifying current entries.

The Special Intensive Revision mainly aims to update and purify the electoral database.

In view of stricter checks on undocumented migrants, particularly from Bangladesh and Myanmar, the process will help confirm citizenship and place of birth.

This effort is intended to remove ineligible foreign nationals and ensure that only legitimate voters remain on the rolls.

Through this large-scale initiative, the Election Commission seeks to strengthen the integrity and transparency of India’s voter registration system ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.

Image Credit: Suyash Dwivedi, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons