Election Commission press conference highlights: UP, Tamil Nadu, Bengal among 12 states/UTs in SIR 2.0

Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh has said the party will "democratically protest" any attempt to remove genuine voters from the list, PTI reported.

"If any attempts are being made to delete the names of any eligible voter, there will be protests. We have no problem with electoral roll revision, but in the name of it, if someone tries to delete the name of any eligible voter at the behest of the BJP, we will protest democratically," Ghosh said.

On the issue of SIR in West Bengal, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar says: “There is no confrontation between the Election Commission and the state government. The Commission is doing its duty, and the state government will discharge its duties.”

EC press conference LIVE: Answering a question on the security of booth workers in West Bengal, where SIR is opposed, chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said in the press conference on Monday that EC believes that the law and order will be fine in these 12 states and no security will be needed.

States are bound to provide necessary personnel to EC for preparing electoral rolls and for the conduct of polls, CEC Gyanesh Kumar said on West Bengal.

On duplication and how it will be handled, CEC Gyanesh Kumar said, “Only one enumeration form is printed for each person. If a person's name is on multiple voter lists, multiple enumeration forms will be printed. But only a person who is willing to commit a crime, will sign on 2 forms. Otherwise, a normal person will only sign on one form."

EC press conference LIVE: According to the Election Commission of India, the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise will be carried out under the below schedule:

-Printing/Training: October 28 to November 3

-House to house enumeration phase: November 4 to December 4

-Publication of draft electoral rolls: December 8

-Claims and objection period: December 9 to January 8, 2026

-Notice phase: December 9 to January 31, 2026

-Publication of final electoral rolls: February 7. 2026

Election Commission press conference LIVE: On wrongful inclusion of foreigners in the electoral rolls, CEC Gyanesh Kumar said the first phase of enumeration to figure out where the ancestors of the people in question were during 2002, 2003 and 2004.

Election Commission press conference LIVE: Under the Constitution, every Constitutional body has to fulfil their responsibility, said CEC Gyanesh Kumar while answering a query on pushback from the West Bengal government over the SIR exercise.

Bengal is part of the 12 states and UTs where the EC will carry out the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision exercise.

Election Commission press conference LIVE: The Supreme Court said Aadhaar to be used under Aadhaar Act, which says it is not a document to proof domicile or citizenship, said CEC Gyanesh Kumar on being asked about the use of the Aadhaar Card during SIR exercise.

Election Commission press conference LIVE: The second phase of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise will be held in these 12 states/UTs:

Andaman and Nicobar
Chhattisgarh
Goa
Gujarat
Kerala
Lakshadweep
Madhya Pradesh
Puducherry
Rajasthan
Tamil Nadu
Uttar Pradesh
West Bengal

Election Commission press conference LIVE: Here's what the enumeration form for SIR is like.

Election Commission press conference LIVE: Like Bihar, Aadhaar number to be accepted in SIR Phase 2, said CEC Gyanesh Kumar in the press conference.

EC press conference LIVE: CEC Gyanesh Kumar announced in the press conference that new polling stations will be opened during the second phase of the SIR exercise, adding that some will be in high-rises.

Training of polling officials for Phase-II of SIR to begin on Tuesday, CEC Gyanesh Kumar said.

Election Commission press conference LIVE: As part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, the booth-level officers (BLOs) will:

* Collect Form 6 & Declaration form for inclusion of new Elector and help in Matching/Linking

* Help the Elector fill in the EF, collect it and submit it to the ERO/AERO

* Make at least 3 Visits to the house of each Elector

* Electors can also fill the EF Online, particularly urban voters/ temporary migrants.

* Identify dead, permanently shifted and voters who are registered at more than one place

* Except the EF, No other document needs to be collected with EF during Enumeration Phase

EC press conference LIVE: The Election Commission of India said there are around 1,000 electors in each polling station:

* There is one Booth Level Officer (BLO) for each Polling Station

* Each Assembly Constituency has many Polling Stations

* One Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) for each Assembly Constituency

* The ERO is a Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) level Officer who, as per Law:

* Prepares the Draft Electoral Rolls,

* Receives and Decides on Claims and Objections, and

* Prepares and Publishes the Final Electoral Rolls.

* Assistant Electoral Registration Officers) (AEROs) for each Tehsil

* The District Magistrate hears the 1st Appeal against the decision of ERO

* The CEO of the State/UT hears the 2nd Appeal against the decision of DM

Election Commission press conference LIVE: Voter list of 12 states and UTs that will go under SIR exercise will freeze tonight, announces CEC Gyanesh Kumar.

Election Commission press conference LIVE: CEC Gyanesh Kumar said SIR is needed before every election as political parties have been raising issues relating to quality of rolls.

“SIR has already been done eight times from 1951 till 2004. Last SIR was done more than 21 years back in 2002-2004,” CEC Gyanesh Kumar said.

Many changes in electoral rolls have occured due to frequent migration, resulting in voters getting registered at more than one place, non-removal of deleted voters and wrongful inclusion of foreigner entry, Gyanesh Kumar said.

Election Commission press conference LIVE: Chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar announced in the presser that the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise will be carried out in 12 states.

Election Commission press conference LIVE: CEC Gyanesh Kumar has announced the second phase of SIR.

Election Commission press conference LIVE: The presser of Election Commission will begin at 4:15 pm. The press conference can be seen live here.

Election Commission press conference LIVE: According to reports, the nationwide SIR is likely to begin on November 1, starting with five states and Union Territories - Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal - where Assembly elections are scheduled next year. States facing “peculiar circumstances,” such as those where local body polls have already been notified, may be excluded for now, reports Indian Express.

Election Commission press conference LIVE: Ahead of the expected pan-India SIR announcement by the EC, Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said the poll body should not rush to carry out a nationwide special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, but rather wait for the Bihar assembly election to get over.

According to officials, the EC is likely to announce a pan-India SIR of the voters' list at the press conference it has scheduled Monday evening.

Speaking to reporters in his assembly office chamber after the House proceedings were adjourned for the day, Abdullah said, "There are already apprehensions about SIR in Bihar. It is not clear yet whether there will be any benefits of this exercise for those undertaking it."

(via PTI)

EC press conference LIVE: The EC cited concerns about bogus, duplicate, and ineligible voters – including deceased individuals and “illegal immigrants” – being present on the electoral rolls. The SIR was launched to remove these entries and ensure the list is accurate and updated, according to EC. There were unverified complaints about illegal immigrants from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar being registered as voters. Read more here

Election Commission press conference LIVE: The Election Commission of India is likely to announce today the first phase of Special Intensive Revision (SIR), in which 10 to 15 states will be covered, including those going to assembly polls in 2026.

Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry are scheduled to go to polls next year.

Election Commission press conference LIVE: The Election Commission of India earlier this month termed the Bihar SIR "accurate" and told the Supreme Court that the petitioner political parties and NGOs are merely content with making "false allegations" to discredit the exercise.

The poll body on October 16 also told the apex court that not a single appeal has been filed by any voter against name deletion since the publication of the final electoral roll.

ECI denied the allegation of the petitioners that there was a "disproportionate exclusion of Muslims" from the final electoral roll of the state prepared after the months-long Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

(via PTI)