SIR rolled out for Bengal plus

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SIR rolled out for Bengal plus 11 states

The Election Commission of India, after a prolonged wait, finally announced the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. The poll body said the second phase of SIR exercise will be carried out across 12 states, including West Bengal and UTs.

The Election Commission said draft electoral rolls will be published on December 9, and the final publication of electoral rolls will be declared on February 7, 2026. Around 51 crore voters will be covered under the exercise.

The ECI recently concluded SIR in poll-bound Bihar, with the exercise emerging as a major flashpoint between the Congress and the BJP in the run-up to the elections in the state, which has 243 assembly seats.

"In the states where SIR will be conducted, electoral rolls will be frozen at midnight today. Later, voters will be given unique enumeration forms with all details," Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said in Vigyan Bhawan this afternoon. He added: "Political parties have raised the issue of quality of electoral rolls on several occasions."