Election Commission announces SIR 2.0: 12 states and union territories to undergo electoral roll revision

While four poll bound states and UTs -- Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry -- will witness the SIR in this phase, the exercise in Assam take place only later as the finalisation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process is still underway.

New Delhi: The second phase of Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls after Bihar will be conducted in 12 states and union territories, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, with the exercise kickstarting with the freezing of electoral rolls from Monday midnight.

While four poll bound states and UTs -- Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry -- will witness the SIR in this phase, the exercise in another election-bound state Assam take place only later as the finalisation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process is still underway. Karnataka does not figure in the list of states for conducting SIR in the second phase.

Other states and UTs where the SIR would be held are Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The current phase of the SIR will cover 50.99 crore voters and in these states, SIR was conducted in 2002 and 2003 except for 37 seats in Tamil Nadu when it was conducted in 2005.

Announcing the schedule, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar told a press conference that the exercise in this phase will end with the publication of the final electoral rolls on February 7 next year.

With the electoral rolls of these states and UTs frozen from Monday night, the printing of enumeration forms and training of personnel will start on Tuesday and end on November 3 followed by house to house enumeration phase between November 4 and December 4. A one month time till January 8 will be given for filing claims and objections after the draft list on December 9, which will be followed by notice phase when hearing and verification would be held.

Asked about the omission of Assam in this phase, Kumar said, “under the Citizenship Act, there are separate provisions for citizenship in Assam. Under the supervision of the Supreme Court, the exercise of checking citizenship is about to be completed. Under such circumstances, this would not have applied to Assam…A separate SIR date will be announced.”

On questions about West Bengal where ruling Trinamool Congress has raised objections to the exercise and demand for postponement by Kerala citing upcoming local body polls, he said the EC is doing its Constitutional duty by carrying out the SIR and the state governments would discharge their Constitutional obligations. He also said the notification for local body polls has not been issued.

Voters who have their names or their relatives’ name in the electoral rolls prepared after the SIR between 2002 and 2004 can match it with the latest and such electors need not provide documents to prove their eligibility. While in the Bihar exercise the voters had the option of linking their names with their parents, this time a relative’s name could also be given.

In the second phase, notices would be issued to all voters whose names could not be matched or linked with the last SIR conducted in their states. Electoral Registration Officers will hear such cases and decide on their inclusion or exclusion.