Voter roll revisions in 12 states, including Bengal and Tamil Nadu, after Bihar poll: EC

The revision exercise will also cover Uttar Pradesh, which votes in 2027, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, and Rajasthan.

Notably, Assam, which also votes in 2026, has been left out of this round.

The EC clarified that citizenship verification norms in the northeastern state “differ from the rest of the country,” and the revision there will take place later.

In the 12 participating states, the enumeration process will run from November 4 to December 4. Draft rolls will be published on December 9.

Appeals and claims can be filed until January 8, while the final revised voter lists will be published on February 7.

The first phase of this nationwide voter list clean-up was held in Bihar between June and July, concluding with the publication of final rolls on September 30.

The EC said the process saw “zero appeals” against wrongful deletions.

EC defends timing amid opposition allegations

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said electoral rolls must be periodically updated to maintain integrity, adding that the last nationwide SIR was conducted more than two decades ago (2002–2004).

“Many changes have occurred in electoral rolls due to frequent migration, which may have resulted in voters being registered in more than one place,” Kumar said, noting that voter roll revisions also aim to remove names of deceased individuals or those wrongfully included, such as foreigners.

Opposition parties have alleged that the Bihar voter list revision, which led to the exclusion of nearly 65 lakh voters from a total of 7.24 crore, was designed to disenfranchise poorer and minority voters.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi accused the EC of colluding with the BJP, a charge both the EC and the ruling party strongly denied, calling on the opposition to submit evidence in court.

The Supreme Court had earlier directed the poll body to accept Aadhaar cards as one of the “indicative documents” for voter roll verification, a move the EC had resisted over forgery concerns.