EC announces Special Summary Revision of voters' list in 17 states amid SIR controversy

The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced Special Summary Revision (SSR) of voters' list across 17 states amid nationwide SIR standoff, according to a notice issued on Thursday.

UP, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa are among 17 states where Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls will be held.

Under the notice, EC has directed 17 states and UTs to conduct SSR of electoral rolls under Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, with January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date.


Also read: Supreme Court issues notice to EC over Rahul Gandhi's plea alleging SIR irregularities, voter deletions

The revision 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 notification comes soon after the Supreme Court issued a notice to the ECI, CEC Gyanesh Kumar, Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi on a petition filed by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and nine other INDIA bloc leaders challenging the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The Commission stated that the schedule for SSR in States and UTs where the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is ongoing or has recently been completed will be announced later.

The petition follows an Opposition march towards the Supreme Court on October 12, led by Gandhi, against the SIR exercise.

The plea was filed by Gandhi, alongside Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Roy, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader MA Baby, Communist Party of India leader D Raja, Mahua Majhi of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Supriya Sule of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar faction), Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader Mohammed Basheer, Viduthalai Chirutbaigal Katchi (VCK) president Thol. Thirumavalavan, and former Jammu and Kashmir minister Sajjad Ahmad Kichloo.

It challenged the legality of the SIR exercise and sought disclosure of the Election Commission’s records, publication of details of deleted voters, safeguards against arbitrary deletions and a mechanism for restoring names.

The leader also sought a judicial audit of the revision process and suspension of the exercise across States pending adjudication.

The Opposition leaders had earlier sought an appointment with CJI Surya Kant to raise concerns over the SIR process and demand Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, which the CJI declined, noting that the issues were already pending before the Court and that the leaders could seek relief through judicial proceedings.