ECI extends electoral roll revision deadline in five states, UTs to 19 Jan

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has extended the deadline for filing claims and objections under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Puducherry, Goa, Lakshadweep, Rajasthan and West Bengal, pushing it to 19 January 2026, according to an official notification.

The decision, communicated through a letter issued on Thursday, comes after requests from chief electoral officers and a review of factors aimed at ensuring the widest possible inclusion of eligible voters. The notification refers to the commission’s earlier communication dated 27 December 2025, which had laid out the SIR schedule with 1 January 2026 as the qualifying date.

The extension applies specifically to the window for submitting claims and objections, giving voters additional time to verify their details, seek inclusion through Form 6 with the required declarations, or raise objections to existing entries.

The ECI has directed that the notification be published immediately in the extraordinary issue of the State Gazettes, with copies forwarded to the commission for record-keeping. Chief electoral officers have also been instructed to ensure wide publicity of the extension through media outreach, booth level officers (BLOs), and digital platforms such as the voters.eci.gov.in portal and the ECINet app.

All election officials have been asked to strictly follow the revised schedule to uphold transparency and accuracy in the electoral process.

The SIR exercise is part of a nationwide drive to update voter lists ahead of the 2026 assembly elections in several states, including West Bengal and Puducherry. The exercise seeks to ensure the inclusion of all eligible citizens while removing ineligible entries due to migration, deaths, duplication or other discrepancies.

Earlier revisions had fixed the enumeration period — ending 11 December 2025, for most of the affected states — and scheduled the publication of draft electoral rolls on 16 December 2025, with final rolls expected in February 2026.

The ECI has urged eligible new voters, including first-time voters, to submit Form 6 without delay, either through BLOs or online. Political parties and civil society groups have welcomed the extension, saying it provides an added safeguard against errors during the intensive verification process.

With IANS inputs