India to launch phased Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls

The Election Commission of India convened a two day meeting in New Delhi this week with chief electoral officers from all states and union territories to finalise plans for a phased, nationwide Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners S S Sandhu and Vivek Joshi led discussions that officials said are intended to begin with states holding assembly elections in 2026 and to expand in subsequent phases.

Officials said the commission is weighing a phased rollout to start with Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal, while excluding states that are holding or preparing for local body elections to avoid overburdening local election machinery. The first phase of the exercise was carried out in Bihar, where the final revised list of about 7.42 crore names was published on September 30, and the commission is using that model to guide the national effort.

The commission reviewed progress on mapping current electors against the electoral rolls compiled during each state’s last intensive revision, which for most states dates from the early 2000s. Mapping is intended to reduce the number of voters who...