The Election Commission of India will unveil the full timetable for a massive nationwide Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls Monday afternoon, with Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi leading the press briefing. The exercise kicks off November 1 in the first phase, targeting over 10 states and one Union Territory, including poll-bound Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and West Bengal where Assembly elections loom in 2026.

Sources confirm a two-phase rollout. Phase one prioritizes states with impending general elections, while phase two tackles regions with local body polls and harsh winter conditions that could hinder fieldwork. All Chief Electoral Officers received urgent directives to mobilize booth-level officers, verify voter mappings against previous SIR data, and deploy digital tools for real-time updates. The ECI’s two-day CEO conference last Thursday finalized logistics, addressing queries on Aadhaar integration and discrepancy resolution.

Announced June 24 alongside Bihar’s SIR, the nationwide drive faced Supreme Court scrutiny but emerged stronger, with Aadhaar mandated as the 12th identity proof. Over 95 crore electors will undergo verification, focusing on deletions of duplicates, additions of 18-year-olds, and corrections for migrated voters. Tamil Nadu alone expects 1.2 crore new enrollments from first-time voters and relocated families.

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Technology takes center stage. ECI’s new Voter Verification App allows selfie-based authentication, while GIS mapping pinpoints unlisted habitations in Kerala’s highlands and Bengal’s Sunderbans. Door-to-door campaigns start with 5 lakh enumerators, backed by 50,000 control rooms. Political parties get draft rolls December 15 for objections, with final lists locked by January 2026.

The overhaul aims to slash 2-3 percent error rates seen in past elections, ensuring every eligible citizen votes without hassle. For 2026 battlegrounds, clean rolls could decide margins in 100+ tight constituencies.

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