On Saturday, the Election Commission of India responded to questions surrounding the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, stating that the SIR directive issued on June 24, 2025, covering all States and Union Territories, had been adopted with the full and unanimous agreement of the entire Commission. The Commission additionally explained that the correspondence addressed to the Cabinet Secretary had no connection to any policy matter under its purview or that of the IT division, but instead pertained to the conduct of an officer serving on deputation to the ECI. Speaking at Nirvachan Sadan in New Delhi, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, joined by Election Commissioners Dr S S Sandhu and Dr Vivek Joshi, clarified that the work redistribution directives put out by the relevant officer had not been put into effect following the two Commissioners' orders, and that oversight of the IT division by the DEC had remained in place throughout; the Commission further noted that the Special Intensive Revision order of 24 June 2025, covering all States and Union Territories and beginning with Bihar before extending to West Bengal and 30 other States and UTs, had been passed with the full and unanimous consent of all three members. India's Supreme Court affirmed this position through a ruling handed down on 27 May 2026. The Special Intensity Revision timetable was released for 12 states and union territories on 27 October 2025, and for a further 19 states and union territories on 14 May 2026, both instances receiving unanimous Commission endorsement; the Chief Election Commissioner noted that the total electorate count would be confirmed only upon completion of the final Phase-III publication across the remaining 12 states. According to the panel, the Special Intensive Revision process has been wrapped up across 20 States and Union Territories, among them Bihar and West Bengal. Individuals whose names were omitted during the Special Intensive Revision or afterwards, along with all eligible citizens — including those voting for the first time — may submit an application to the relevant Electoral Registration Officer to have their details added to the voter list through the ongoing updation procedure. The ECI indicated that chief electoral officers have been instructed to provide the necessary support. A targeted voter registration drive is set to be initiated promptly by the CEOs, DEOs, and EROs for the enrolment of these electors. The body granted an extension for submitting claims and objections, pushing the deadline in Delhi to 30 October 2026 and in Maharashtra to 12 October 2026. Deadlines for processing notices, claims, and objections have been pushed to 30 November 2026 for Delhi and 10 November 2026 for Maharashtra. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are to conduct home visits for individuals who have received notices regarding unmapped entries or data discrepancies, gathering and uploading relevant documents to ECINet, with the directive noting that such individuals are not required to appear in person at ERO or AERO offices. The CEC noted that an in-person or online hearing would be convened only where the ERO determines that exceptional circumstances warrant one. District Election Officers are to establish assistance counters and organise dedicated outreach sessions for residents of night shelters, daily wage workers, and individuals without permanent housing. A panel chaired by the Senior Deputy Election Commissioner, with an independent technical expert drawn from IIT or IIIT, will conduct a compliance review of ECINET against the relevant Acts and Rules.
