New Delhi: India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Monday announced the launch of the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across 12 states and union territories. The large-scale exercise, aimed at updating and verifying voter lists, will begin on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, Gyanesh Kumar said the revision will cover Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Goa, Puducherry, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Lakshadweep.

According to the Election Commission, around 51 crore voters fall under this phase of the exercise. More than 5.33 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and over 7 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by political parties will participate in the revision.

Printing and training activities will continue until November 3, followed by a door-to-door verification drive from November 4 to December 4. The draft voter list will be published on December 8, 2025, and claims and objections can be filed between December 9, 2025, and January 8, 2026. Hearings for objections will continue till January 31, and the final voter list will be published on February 7, 2026.

Kumar said voter lists in the concerned states would be frozen at midnight before the revision begins. “Afterward, each voter will be given a unique counting form containing all their details,” he explained.

Clarifying the role of Aadhaar in the process, Kumar said it can be submitted as proof of identity but not as proof of citizenship, date of birth, or residence. He also mentioned that the Special Intensive Revision for Assam will be announced separately.

Addressing reports of disagreements in some states, he said there was no conflict regarding the SIR in West Bengal, emphasizing that the Election Commission and the state government were performing their respective duties.

To ensure accuracy, the Chief Election Commissioner said BLOs will visit every household three times during the process to make sure that no eligible voter is left out and no ineligible name remains on the rolls. Voters who have migrated can now submit their details online to update their records.

Training for polling officers involved in the second phase of the SIR will begin on Tuesday. Kumar said all Chief Electoral Officers and District Election Officers have been instructed to meet with political parties by Wednesday to brief them on the revision process.

He also appreciated the success of the first phase of the SIR in Bihar, which covered 7.5 crore voters. The Commission had recently met officials from all 36 states and union territories to review and discuss the upcoming phase in detail.

Kumar noted that this is the ninth nationwide Special Intensive Revision since India’s independence, with the last one conducted between 2002 and 2004. He said political parties have repeatedly emphasized the need for improved voter list quality, and this exercise is a major step in that direction.