EC extends SIR schedule by one week after workload criticism

The Election Commission (EC) has extended by one week the entire schedule of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in nine states and three Union territories.

In a statement on Sunday (November 30), the poll authority said the enumeration form distribution will now continue till December 11 instead of December 4.

Also read: Congress’s exclusion of INDIA bloc allies from Dec 14 SIR rally raises eyebrows

The draft electoral rolls will now be published on December 16 instead of December 9, and the period for filing claims and objections is from December 16 to January 15, 2026.

The final voters’ list will be out on February 14 instead of February 7.

Inhuman schedule and workload

The EC announced SIR in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal on October 27.

The schedule of SIR has been criticised heavily for the “inhuman” schedule imposed on booth level officers (BLOs), many of whom are schoolteachers. Several BLOs have allegedly died by suicide in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, apparently because of the tight SIR schedule and tremendous workload.

Also read: Parliament session: Govt gears up for reform drive as Opposition set to flag SIR issue

Trinamool Congress leaders met Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and other Election Commission (EC) officials in Delhi on Friday (November 28), urging him to reschedule the SIR exercise so that it is not rushed. Other Opposition parties have also been repeatedly voicing their discontent over the SIR exercise.

(With agency inputs)