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ECI begins Phase III of Special Intensive Revision across 16 states and 3 UTs; Delhi schedule outlined
The Election Commission directed chief electoral officers to start Phase III of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) for 367.3 million electors across 19 states and UTs, excluding HP, J&K, and Ladakh. The rollout includes Delhi with a June 30 start and draft/final roll dates, and details for several states; BLO/BLAs deployment figures are also highlighted.
Why It Matters
Phase III of SIR affects voter rolls ahead of forthcoming polls and has already sparked controversy over disenfranchisement in West Bengal during previous cycles; the timeline shows how the exercise is being implemented across multiple states and union territories.
Timeline
8 Events
Draft/final roll timing for other states/UTs
May 15, 2026
Punjab: draft July 31, final October 1. Uttarakhand: draft July 14, final September 15. Manipur: draft July 5, final September 6. Goa already completed SIR in an earlier phase.
BLO/BLAs deployment and exceptions
May 15, 2026
Maharashtra leads BLO deployment with 97,924 officers covering 98.6 million electors, followed by Karnataka with 59,050 BLOs for 55.5 million electors. For Phase III, Meghalaya has no BLAs appointed.
UP completes SIR process; 20.5 million names deleted
May 15, 2026
Uttar Pradesh has completed the Phase II/SIR process and deleted 20.5 million names from its voter rolls.
State-wise draft/final roll dates for Phase III
May 15, 2026
Punjab: draft on July 31, final on October 1. Uttarakhand: draft on July 14, final on September 15. Manipur: draft on July 5, final on September 6. Goa had completed SIR in an earlier phase.
Delhi Phase III timeline announced
May 15, 2026
In Delhi, Phase III will begin on June 30, with the draft roll to be released on August 5 and the final roll on October 7.
HP, J&K and Ladakh excluded from Phase III
May 15, 2026
Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh were kept out of the current phase due to ongoing census operations and weather conditions; their Phase III schedules will be announced after Phase II of the census.
ECI directs Phase III start for Special Intensive Revision across 16 states and 3 UTs
May 15, 2026
The Election Commission of India directed chief electoral officers to commence Phase III of SIR, covering about 367.3 million electors across 19 states and UTs, with over 394,000 Booth Level Officers and 342,000 Booth Level Agents appointed by political parties to assist in enumeration.
Disenfranchisement in West Bengal linked to SIR controversy
April 2026
West Bengal assembly polls in April 2026 led to the disenfranchisement of 2.71 million voters amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process.