Govt ready to convene special Parliament session to discuss SIR: Amit Shah

Centre is willing to convene a special session of Parliament to discuss the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday, as the exercise continues to face scrutiny over voter deletions, verification requirements and repeated extensions of deadlines across several states.

Speaking in Raipur, Shah said the government was prepared to hold a special session to deliberate on the exercise, which has triggered political debate over the inclusion and exclusion of names from electoral rolls.

Also read: SIR: Extended timelines spark controversy across states


The third phase of the SIR exercise has stretched to five-six months in several states, significantly longer than the 98-day process completed in Bihar in 2025. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has extended deadlines multiple times in states where voter verification and reconciliation have taken longer than initially scheduled.

Delhi has seen the maximum extensions, with its SIR process now scheduled to conclude on December 22, against the original deadline of October 7. The revised schedule takes the exercise to more than 176 days, or nearly 5.8 months, following five extensions.

Maharashtra's final electoral roll is now scheduled for publication on November 30, extending the exercise to around 154 days. Andhra Pradesh's process has been stretched to 169 days, while Telangana's will take approximately 5.05 months.

Also read: SC issues notice to EC on plea alleging Form 6 changes during Bihar SIR

Multiple extensions stretch SIR timelines

The ECI's original framework envisaged completing the SIR exercise within 95-100 days, covering voter enumeration, distribution of forms and publication of the final electoral roll.

However, the third phase has involved a higher volume of Form 6 applications, verification of unmapped voters and examination of entries flagged for logical discrepancies. The issuance of notices and the need for hearings have also contributed to delays, prompting the poll panel to revise deadlines.

Delhi's revised schedule adds 76 days to its original timeline, the highest among the states in this phase. Andhra Pradesh has seen an extension of 69 days, followed by Telangana at 60 days and Maharashtra at 54 days.

The experience has varied across states. Mizoram, Sikkim, Manipur, Uttarakhand and Haryana completed the exercise within the original 100-day timeframe. Karnataka's process, meanwhile, extended to around 3.9 months after two deadline revisions.