EC May Roll Out SIR in Remaining 22 States, UTs After Assembly Polls

New Delhi: The third and final phase of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls will be delayed by nearly a month as the Election Commission may roll it out after assembly elections in five states this month. Total of 22 states and Union Territories, including Delhi, were to go for SIR in April which as of now stands delayed.

Assembly elections are taking place in Kerala, Assam, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal this month and counting will take place on May 4. So far, SIR has been carried out in 10 states and three Union Territories. A 'special revision' of electoral rolls was carried out in Assam.

The staff that was to conduct SIR is at present being diverted for census, said sources. The census in the country began from April 1 and in the second phase it will be held from May.

Except for Uttar Pradesh, final voters' lists have been published where SIR was carried out. As many as 60 crore of the nearly 99 crore voters have been covered in these voters' list clean up exercises. The remaining nearly 39 crore electors will be covered in the proposed exercise in 17 states and five Union Territories. On February 19, the poll authority had asked 22 states and Union territories including Delhi to complete preparatory work related to SIR at the earliest as the exercise is "expected to start from April".

Once the exercise is completed, all states and Union territories will be covered.