ECI announces special summary revision of electoral rolls in six states and UTs; set to be published by Jan 21, 2027

THE ELECTION COMMISSION OF INDIA on Wednesday, November 4, 2026, ordered a Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls in four states and two Union Territories, with the final voters’ list set to be published on January 21, 2027. The exercise will cover Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Odisha, Sikkim, Chandigarh, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu, where the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls have concluded. 

The announcement comes amid the growing discontent among the people regarding the irregularities flagged in the working of the ECI, and the ECs special drive at enrolling the left-put, young and first-time voters in the country. 

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The ECI has directed the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of these six states and Union Territories to undertake this special revision as per the Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.

Six states and Union Territories to undergo special revision

The special summary revision will be conducted in four states — Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Odisha and Sikkim — and two Union Territories, Chandigarh and Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu. 

As per the ECIs direction, the final publication of the electoral rolls are scheduled for January 21, 2027. It has set this special drive to particularly enrol left-out, young or first-time eligible voters, with reference to the qualifying date of January 1, 2027. Along with that, it has also set three subsequent dates for seeking advance applications on April 1, July 1 and October 1, 2027 respectively. 

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As per the current schedule being set by the ECI, the rationalization or rearrangement of polling stations ought to be concluded by November 20, 2026, and the draft electoral rolls will be published on November 30, 2026. After this, the electors will have a period of one month, from November 30 to December 30, 2026 to file any claims or objections to the prepared draft rolls. 

Taking all these inclusions and modifications into account, the final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on January 21, 2027. 

What’s the difference between SIR and SSR?

The latest announcement of the Special Summary Revision (SSR) has brought to light the questions of how it differs from the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and what are its implications.

The SSR is an annual process which involves updating the existing electoral rolls through additions and deletions. In simple terms, it concerns the electors who would be automatically included in the draft roll. 

On the other hand, SIR includes a comprehensive process where every elector is required to fill an enumeration form and submit the required proofs, such as that of their citizenship among others. It is the process through which an electoral candidate is officially enrolled in an electoral roll. 

The nature and intent of the processes forms only a part of their difference. There is another distinction in terms of the scrutiny and verification processes involved. In SIR, the burden of proof rests on the electors to re-establish their eligibility in the electoral rolls.

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However, SSR takes place on the assumption of continuity, and is intended to ensure newer additions take place.  It takes the last final roll as the baseline, while the SIR uses the 2002-2004 electoral rolls. 

SSR scheduled for other states 

The ECI ordered the SSR in states and Union Territories where the SIR process had been concluded last month. This included Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Puducherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal. It also announced for the SSR in Assam — the state where EC decided to not the SIR.

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The Election Commission also stated in its notice that states such as Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Delhi, Tripura and Telangana, where the SIR has been completed or is in process, the schedule for SSR will be announced in days ahead. 

It also added that, the states and Union Territories — Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh — where the process of SIR has not yet begun, will be announced in due time, in consideration of time and weather conditions in these regions.

[Rh/AR/RS]

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