The Election Commission of India announced on Thursday that it has rolled out Phase III of its Special Intensive Revision exercise across 16 states and three Union Territories as part of efforts to update and verify electoral rolls.
The third phase will be carried out across the nation except in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Himachal Pradesh, according to the order issued by the ECI.
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The poll body said the schedule for these three regions will be announced later after taking into account the completion of the second phase of the Census exercise and weather conditions in snow-bound and upper-reach areas.
The Commission also said the Phase III schedule has been aligned with the ongoing Census house-listing exercise because of the common field machinery involved in both operations.
Under the exercise, nearly 3.94 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will carry out door-to-door verification of around 36.73 crore registered voters. Moreover, the revision process will also involve support from approximately 3.42 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) nominated by various political parties.
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Describing the SIR as a participative exercise, the ECI urged political parties to appoint BLAs at every polling booth to ensure transparency and wider participation in the revision process.
The earlier SIR Phases
The SIR exercise is part of the Election Commission’s wider effort to clean up and update electoral rolls across the country ahead of future elections. The nationwide drive was first ordered in June last year, but its rollout has seen multiple changes in schedule because of five scheduled Assembly elections in 2026, administrative constraints and legal challenges in several states.
Before the latest phase, the exercise had already been completed in multiple states and Union Territories, including Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bihar and Kerala.
According to Election Commission data, earlier phases of the revision process covered nearly 60 crore voters.
Opposition in uproar
The exercise has also generated political controversy.
Opposition parties in some states questioned the timing and intent of the revision process, alleging that it could disproportionately impact certain sections of voters.
In West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, political parties approached the courts challenging aspects of the exercise, while Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee had also publicly objected to the voter roll revision process in her state.
The polling body, however, has maintained that the exercise is aimed at improving the accuracy of electoral rolls by removing duplicate, shifted and deceased voters.
Data released after earlier phases showed that more than 60 lakh deceased electors had been removed from voter lists, while several lakh additional names were deleted following objections and verification proceedings.
