ECI extends SIR deadline for 5 States, 1 UT

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday extended the deadlines for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in five States and one Union Territory, following a similar revision earlier announced for Kerala. According to the revised schedule, the enumeration period for Tamil Nadu and Gujarat has been extended until December 14, and the draft electoral rolls will now be published on December 19. In Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the enumeration exercise will continue until December 18, with draft rolls scheduled for release on December 23. Uttar Pradesh has been granted a 15-day extension. The enumeration period in the state will now end on December 26, and the draft rolls will be published on December 31, the ECI said in a press note.

Under the earlier timetable, the enumeration period for these six States and the Union Territory was set to conclude on December 11, with draft rolls to be published on December 16. For Goa, Puducherry, Lakshadweep, Rajasthan and West Bengal, the enumeration process will conclude on Thursday, and the draft rolls will be published on December 16 as scheduled.

The Commission had already revised Kerala’s timeline earlier. The enumeration period there will end on December 18, and the draft roll will be published on December 23. The final electoral roll for the state will now be released on February 21, 2026, instead of the earlier date of February 14, 2026. The ECI said the extensions aim to ensure that all eligible voters are included. It urged new electors to fill out Form 6 with the required declaration and submit it to their Booth Level Officers (BLOs) or complete the process online through the ECINet portal or mobile app.

The extension in Kerala followed a Supreme Court direction to the Commission to examine whether the filing and submission of enumeration forms needed to be deferred as part of the ongoing SIR exercise in the state. The order was issued by a bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on pleas filed by political parties alleging that the revision process could interfere with local body elections underway in Kerala.