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New Delhi: India's electoral machinery is in high gear as Uttar Pradesh, the nation's most populous state, proudly announced the near-completion of its intensive voter roll revision. Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is poised to roll out the second critical phase of this nationwide exercise, aiming to publish final voter lists across a dozen states and Union Territories by early February 2026.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa confirmed on Monday that the state has completed a staggering 97 per cent of its ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as of December 8th. Addressing the media, Rinwa emphasised the efficiency of online submissions, clarifying that applicants who file their forms digitally do not need to submit physical copies to Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
"As of December 8, we have completed 97 per cent of our work," Rinwa said, highlighting the significant progress. He reiterated the digital-first approach, saying, "After submitting the online form, there is no need to give the offline form to the BLO."
Overseas Indians: Your vote matters in UP
A significant focus of the revision also includes empowering Indian citizens residing abroad to participate in the electoral process. Rinwa clarified the registration procedure for overseas (NRI) electors: any Indian citizen living abroad for employment, education, or other reasons who has not acquired foreign citizenship remains eligible to enrol as an overseas voter in Uttar Pradesh. To do so, they must complete and submit Form 6A.
"Such voters are called overseas electors... Today, around 1,533 overseas electors are registered in Uttar Pradesh," he said.
ECI's grand revision: A dozen states on the docket
Beyond Uttar Pradesh, the Election Commission of India will conduct the second comprehensive phase of its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) across 12 states and Union Territories. This crucial exercise follows the successful completion of the first phase in Bihar in September, ahead of its upcoming Assembly elections.
The states and UTs covered in this expansive second phase include: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
According to the ECI, the preparation and training for SI were carried out from October 28 - November 3. IT included initial groundwork like printing materials and training for electoral staff.T
In the enumeration phase conducted from November 4 to December 4, field visits and data collection were conducted for voter roll updates.
The ECI announced that the draft electoral roll will be published on December 9. The provisional lists are made public for scrutiny.
For claims and objections, the ECI has urged citizens to submit claims for inclusion or objections regarding existing entries from December 9 - January 8, 2026.
According to the ECI hearings and verification of all submitted claims and objections will be conducted from December 9 - January 31, 2026 with publication of Final Electoral Rolls on February 7, 2026.
