Election Commission Extends Voter Form Deadline
The Election Commission has announced an extension to the deadline for submitting enumeration forms for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in nine states and three Union Territories. The new deadline is December 11, pushing back the electoral roll publication date to February 14 of next year.
Supreme Court Involvement
This decision follows discussions in the Supreme Court regarding petitions challenging the SIR exercise, particularly in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. The court indicated it could direct the Election Commission to extend deadlines if necessary.
Affected States and Territories
The SIR exercise is currently underway in the following states and Union Territories:
- Andaman and Nicobar Islands
- Chhattisgarh
- Goa
- Gujarat
- Lakshadweep
- Madhya Pradesh
- Puducherry
- Rajasthan
- Uttar Pradesh
- West Bengal
- Tamil Nadu
- Kerala
Revised Schedule
The key dates have been adjusted as follows:
- New Form Submission Deadline: December 11
- Draft Roll Publication: December 16
- Final Roll Publication: February 14
Registered electors in these regions now have extra time to submit their forms to Booth Level Officers (BLOs), who will then upload them to the ECINet portal.
Reasons for the Extension
While the Election Commission did not explicitly state the reason for the extension, it is understood that the process of matching the electoral roll to the last intensive revision was lagging in some states. Additionally, there have been reports of extreme work pressure on BLOs, including some tragic incidents.
Claims and Objections
After the draft roll is published, electors will have a one-month period, from December 16 to January 15, 2026, to file any claims or objections. Those unable to demonstrate a connection to the last intensive revision will need to submit required documents between December 16 and February 7, 2026.
Progress of the SIR
The Election Commission stated that as of Sunday, 99.65% of the enumeration forms for the 51 crore electors had been distributed, and 84.30% of the forms had been digitized, indicating substantial progress in the SIR process.
