The Election Commission (EC) has indicated that a nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) could begin as early as October or November, asking all the state poll bodies to get ready for the voter list cleanup by September 30.
According to a PTI report, the EC has asked the state chief electoral officers (CEOs) to finish preparations for a nationwide SIR in the next 10 to 15 days.
The officials quoted in the report said that a deadline of September 30 was set at a conference of CEOs held in New Delhi earlier this month.
Preparations are underway for a nationwide voter list SIR| Details
The EC has asked all the state CEOs to keep voter lists of their states, published after the last SIR, ready.
The last SIR in states will serve as the cut-off date, just as the 2003 voter list of Bihar is being used by the EC for intensive revision.
Most states had the last SIR between 2002 and 2004 and have nearly completed mapping of current electors with those as per the last intensive revision.
Several state CEOs have already put up the voter lists published after their last SIR on their websites.
{{/usCountry}}Several state CEOs have already put up the voter lists published after their last SIR on their websites.
{{/usCountry}}The Delhi CEO's website has the voter list from 2008, when the last intensive revision took place in the national capital.
In Uttarakhand, the last SIR took place in 2006, and the electoral roll from that year is now on the state CEO's website.
The primary aim of the intensive revision, as stated by the EC, is to weed out foreign illegal migrants by checking their place of birth.
The move assumes significance in the wake of a crackdown in various states on illegal foreign migrants, including from Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are due in 2026.