The Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered a Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls in 17 states and union territories, with January 1, 2027, set as the qualifying date.
The exercise will cover Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Puducherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.
The ECI issued the directions on Thursday, October 15, under Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. The move is aimed at updating the existing electoral rolls ahead of the 2027 qualifying date and ensuring that eligible voters are included in the rolls.
As per the schedule issued by the poll panel, the rationalisation and rearrangement of polling stations will be completed by November 2, 2026. The integrated draft electoral rolls will then be published on November 12.
Voters will be given a window from November 12 to December 11 to file claims and objections regarding the draft rolls. The disposal of these claims and objections is scheduled to be completed by December 28.
The final electoral rolls will be published on January 4, 2027.
The ECI has, however, kept States and UTs where the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is currently underway or has recently been completed outside this schedule. The poll panel said a separate timetable for SSR in these regions would be announced later.
These include Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Delhi, Odisha, Sikkim, Tripura and Telangana.
The Commission has also separately said that the schedule for electoral-roll revision in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, where SIR has not yet been started, will be announced later, keeping weather conditions in mind.
The latest exercise is part of the ECI’s wider effort to update electoral rolls ahead of upcoming elections and ensure that eligible citizens are able to register and participate in the electoral process.
Source: News18