EC’s voter list overhaul enters Phase 3, Delhi and Maharashtra among key regions covered

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday announced the rollout of Phase 3 of its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise across 19 states and Union territories, significantly expanding its nationwide electoral roll verification campaign.

The latest phase will cover major regions including Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Punjab and Odisha, with election officials expected to carry out house-to-house verification of more than 36 crore voters over the coming months.

The poll body said the exercise is aimed at updating electoral rolls and removing duplicate, ineligible or outdated entries as part of a broader voter list “cleansing” process initiated last year.

Also Read | Delhi introduces two-day work from home plan for government employees amid Middle East crisis concerns

Massive door-to-door verification exercise begins

According to the Election Commission, over 3.94 lakh Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will conduct physical verification visits during the exercise. They will be assisted by around 3.42 lakh Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by political parties.

The Phase 3 rollout includes Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Delhi, Odisha, Punjab, Sikkim, Telangana, Tripura and Uttarakhand.

The EC said house-to-house verification is scheduled to take place between May 30 and October 14, while draft electoral rolls will be published between July 5 and October 21 depending on the state or Union territory.

“Once the third phase of SIR is completed, the entire country will be covered except Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh,” the Election Commission said in a statement.

EC pushes transparency amid political scrutiny

The Special Intensive Revision exercise has increasingly become one of the Election Commission’s largest voter verification drives in recent years.

The EC launched the process in Bihar in 2025 citing concerns over bogus entries, duplicate voter registrations, deceased individuals remaining on electoral rolls and suspected illegal immigrants being included in voter databases. The commission has repeatedly described the exercise as a participative process involving election officials, voters and political parties.

The poll body has urged all political parties to appoint Booth Level Agents at every polling station to ensure transparency during verification and revision.

“In the first two phases of the SIR in 13 States/UTs covering nearly 59 crore electors, over 6.3 lakh BLOs and 9.2 lakh BLAs appointed by political parties were involved,” the EC said.

Also Read | No liquor below 21: Vijay govt begins tighter checks at TASMAC stores across Tamil Nadu

Electoral roll revision gains national scale

With the launch of Phase 3, the revision exercise is now approaching nationwide coverage ahead of a packed electoral calendar over the next two years. Election officials believe the large-scale verification process will help strengthen voter databases and reduce disputes around electoral roll accuracy.

However, the exercise is also likely to remain politically sensitive, especially in states where voter identity, migration and citizenship issues have triggered sharp debate in recent years.

For now, the focus shifts to the massive logistical challenge ahead, with lakhs of election workers set to begin one of India’s biggest door-to-door democratic verification exercises later this month.