Election Commission extends voter roll revision deadline for six Indian states

The Election Commission of India has extended the deadline for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls in six states, marking the third postponement of the critical exercise aimed at updating electoral registers ahead of upcoming polls.

The affected states include major electoral battlegrounds Maharashtra and Delhi, along with Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Nagaland. The special revision process is designed to identify and add eligible voters who may have been omitted from the rolls, as well as remove ineligible entries.

The repeated extensions have raised concerns about the timeline for finalising the complete voter lists before elections are announced. Election officials have cited various operational challenges and the need for more comprehensive ground-level verification as reasons for the delays.

The SIR is a crucial preparatory measure, as the final voter rolls serve as the foundation for conducting free and fair elections. Electoral authorities typically conduct such intensive revisions during periods between general or state elections to ensure accuracy and completeness of voter databases.

The Election Commission has not announced a fresh deadline, leaving uncertainty about when the final voter rolls will be ready for these states.