Election Commission announces voter roll revision across 17 states and union territories
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced a Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls in 17 states and Union Territories, setting January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for voter eligibility.
The exercise will cover several states, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Manipur, where Assembly elections are scheduled in the coming months. The initiative aims to ensure that eligible citizens, particularly young people and first-time voters, are included in the electoral rolls.
The commission said the revision would also allow advance applications from people who become eligible to vote on three additional dates in 2027: April 1, July 1 and October 1.
The decision follows earlier instructions issued on September 29 directing election officials to conduct special drives to identify and enrol eligible voters who may have been left out of the rolls.
The SSR will be undertaken under Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. The states and Union Territories covered are 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.
However, the commission has deferred the announcement of schedules in regions where a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is currently underway or has recently concluded. These include Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, the National Capital Territory of Delhi, Odisha, Sikkim, Telangana and Tripura.
Separate schedules will also be announced for Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, where the SIR exercise has not yet begun. The commission said local weather conditions would be considered while determining the timeline.
The announcement comes amid protests by INDIA bloc parties over alleged irregularities in electoral roll revisions and their demands for the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
The latest exercise is intended to improve voter enrolment and update electoral records ahead of the next round of elections. The detailed implementation schedule for the announced revision will be communicated separately.