New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced the third phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across 16 states and three Union Territories, significantly expanding its nationwide voter verification exercise ahead of upcoming elections.
According to the poll panel, the latest phase will cover more than 36 crore electors and involve large-scale house-to-house verification by lakhs of Booth Level Officers. The exercise is scheduled to begin from May 30.
With the rollout of Phase-III, the SIR process will now extend to almost the entire country, except Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, where separate schedules are expected later.
The Election Commission had earlier completed the first phase of the revision exercise in Bihar in September 2025. The second phase, concluded in April this year, covered nine states including Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu, along with three Union Territories.
The voter verification drive has triggered political reactions in several states. Opposition parties have raised concerns over the timing and scale of deletions from electoral rolls during previous phases, particularly in West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh.
As per the EC’s guidelines, draft electoral rolls will be published after verification. Individuals whose details cannot be linked with previous records may be asked to submit supporting documents from an approved list for verification. Aadhaar, however, will serve only as proof of identity and not proof of citizenship.
The Election Commission has maintained that the SIR exercise is aimed at ensuring accurate, transparent and error-free electoral rolls across the country ahead of future elections.