New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday announced the rollout of Phase III of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across 16 states and three Union Territories, while deferring the exercise in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh for the time being.
The poll body said the revision exercise has been aligned with the ongoing national Census house-listing operations to ensure smoother coordination and effective deployment of field-level administrative staff.
According to the ECI, more than 3.94 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will undertake door-to-door verification of nearly 36.73 crore voters during the third phase of the exercise.
Delhi is also among the regions covered under Phase III, with the final electoral rolls for the national capital scheduled to be published on October 7.
The Election Commission said separate schedules for Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh will be announced later after completion of Phase II of the Census exercise and keeping in view weather-related challenges in snow-bound and high-altitude regions.
Officials said operational constraints and difficult terrain conditions in these areas prompted the deferment of the revision process for now.
Launching the exercise, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar appealed to voters to actively participate in the revision process and submit their Enumeration Forms.
“I appeal to all electors to enthusiastically participate in Phase III of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and submit their Enumeration Forms,” Kumar said.
He stated that the primary objective of the revision drive is to ensure that only eligible citizens remain on the electoral rolls while removing ineligible entries.
The first phase of the nationwide Special Intensive Revision was conducted between June and September 2025, with Bihar serving as the key focus state. Following verification, around 47 lakh names were reportedly removed from the state’s electoral rolls.
The second phase, which began on October 27, 2025, covered nine states and three Union Territories, including Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
According to Election Commission data, Uttar Pradesh recorded the highest number of deletions during Phase II, with around 2.04 crore names removed, followed by West Bengal with 83.86 lakh deletions.
