EC’s SIR extension proves exercise impractical and rushed: Congress

The Congress on Sunday said the Election Commission has effectively admitted that the SIR (Special Intensive Revision) of electoral rolls cannot be completed within the current compressed timeline, after the poll authority extended the entire schedule of the exercise by a week in nine states and three Union Territories.

Congress deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha Pramod Tiwari told reporters that the extension vindicates the Opposition’s stand that the SIR process is “impractical, hurried and impossible to finish” without compromising accuracy. He said the EC should “shed ego” and follow the timeline adopted during the last such exercise conducted in 2003.

“The Opposition parties feel that if no discussion is held on SIR, this means the government does not want Parliament to function,” Tiwari said after an all-party meeting convened ahead of the Winter Session beginning on Monday, 1 December.

He also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “not fulfilling his responsibility” by refusing to participate in key debates. “He comes to the House but does not take part in discussions,” Tiwari said.

Earlier in the day, the Election Commission extended the entire SIR schedule by one week.

Form distribution will now continue until 11 December instead of 4 December, the draft rolls will be published on 16 December instead of 9 December, and the final electoral rolls will be released on 14 February 2026 instead of 7 February.

The EC had launched the SIR exercise on 27 October across nine states and three UTs — an accelerated revision that Opposition parties have consistently criticised as disruptive and unsafe for voters' rights.

Tiwari reiterated that the government must allow a serious discussion on SIR in Parliament. “This is about the purity of the voter list. Why is the government running away?” he asked.