Election Commission Likely to Roll Out Nationwide Voter List Revision by Year-End

The Election Commission of India (EC) is expected to launch a nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls before the end of 2025, officials said on Wednesday. The move is aimed at cleaning up voter lists and ensuring the removal of ineligible entries, particularly illegal foreign migrants.

The decision will follow final deliberations by the EC and comes ahead of five key assembly elections due in 2026—in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal.

During a day-long meeting held in New Delhi with Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of various states, the EC discussed the SIR policy and shared insights from Bihar, where the revision process has already begun. State CEOs have been directed to prepare updated electoral rolls based on their last SIR. Some states have already made these lists public on their official websites.

The Commission emphasized that, after Bihar, the entire country will undergo SIR, in line with its constitutional mandate to maintain the integrity of electoral rolls.

Key Objectives of the Nationwide SIR:

• Identify and remove illegal foreign migrants from voter rolls
• Verify voters’ place and date of birth through house-to-house verification
• Prevent duplication and inaccuracies in electoral records

In light of recent crackdowns on illegal migrants from countries such as Bangladesh and Myanmar, the EC has introduced stricter verification protocols for new voter applicants or those shifting states.

New Declaration Requirement

As part of the process, certain applicants will now be required to submit an additional declaration form confirming:

• They were born in India before July 1, 1987, with supporting documents
• Or, if born between July 1, 1987, and December 2, 2004, they must also submit documents proving the date/place of birth of their parents

The move comes amid criticism from opposition parties, who claim the SIR in Bihar is being politically misused to disenfranchise voters by demanding documents many may not possess. They allege it could affect millions of eligible citizens, particularly from marginalized communities.

In response to these concerns, the Supreme Court has directed the Election Commission to ensure that no eligible citizen is left out of the electoral rolls.

The 2003 voter list is being used as the reference point for Bihar’s SIR, while other states will follow based on their last intensive revision, which, in many cases, took place between 2002 and 2004.

As the EC prepares for the massive exercise, it continues to stress the importance of transparency, fairness, and accuracy in maintaining the world’s largest democratic electoral database.