The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced the rollout of Phase 3 of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, expanding the nationwide voter list update exercise to 16 states and three Union Territories, including Maharashtra and Delhi. The initiative is part of a structured effort to ensure updated and accurate electoral rolls across the country ahead of future elections.

The third phase will cover Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, the National Capital Territory of Delhi, Odisha, Punjab, Sikkim, Tripura, Telangana, and Uttarakhand. Once this phase is completed, the Commission said the entire country will be covered under the SIR process, except Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

According to the Election Commission, the exercise involves a large-scale field-level verification process aimed at strengthening the accuracy and integrity of voter databases. A total of over 3.94 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will carry out house-to-house visits across the participating states and Union Territories. These officials will verify voter details, update records, and ensure that eligible citizens are correctly included in the electoral rolls.

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The exercise will cover approximately 36.73 crore electors in this phase alone. To support the process, 3.42 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by political parties will assist BLOs during the enumeration phase. The Commission has emphasised that the participation of BLAs is crucial to ensuring transparency, accountability, and cross-verification at the ground level.

The house-to-house verification drive is scheduled to take place between May 30 and October 14. During this period, BLOs will visit households to collect and verify voter information, correct discrepancies, and identify new eligible voters. This is expected to be one of the most extensive voter verification exercises undertaken in recent years, given the scale of coverage and number of personnel involved.

Following the completion of field verification, the Election Commission will publish the draft electoral rolls between July 5 and October 21. This step will allow citizens and political parties to review the updated lists and file objections or corrections where necessary. The Commission has stated that this phase is essential for ensuring that the final electoral rolls are both comprehensive and error-free.

The SIR exercise is designed as a participatory process involving voters, political parties, and election officials working together. The Election Commission has urged all political parties to actively appoint Booth Level Agents for every polling station to ensure maximum participation and oversight. Officials believe that such collaboration will help improve the quality of electoral rolls and reduce errors or omissions.

The Commission has also highlighted that the SIR initiative is part of its broader mandate to strengthen democratic processes through periodic and systematic voter list revisions. By involving multiple stakeholders and deploying extensive field verification mechanisms, the ECI aims to enhance public confidence in the electoral system.

Once Phase 3 is completed, only a few regions will remain outside the current cycle of revision, after which further phases are expected to ensure full national coverage. The Commission reiterated that accurate and updated voter lists are fundamental to free and fair elections, and that the SIR exercise plays a critical role in maintaining electoral integrity across the country.

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