New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (EC) is expected to launch the first phase of its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls next week, beginning in 10-15 states, officials said. Kerala, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and West Bengal — all of which are scheduled to go to polls in 2026 — are likely to be part of the initial rollout.

On September 12, the Kerala Chief Election Officer announced that SIR will be implemented in the state, following the Bihar model. The announcement came even as the state is gearing up for local body polls and assembly elections. In Kerala, the 2002 electoral roll will serve as the base for the revision.

PTI reported that the EC will announce the first phase of SIR by mid-next week. The exercise aims to verify voter lists and eliminate inaccuracies, including entries of foreign nationals and ineligible voters.

However, states currently holding or preparing for local body elections will not be included in the first round, as their election machinery is already engaged in those processes. The SIR will be implemented in such states after the initial phase concludes, officials said.

The cleanup drive has already been completed in Bihar, where the final electoral roll with approximately 7.42 crore names was published on September 30. Bihar heads to polls in two phases — on November 6 and 11 — with counting on November 14.

To prepare for the nationwide rollout, the EC has convened two rounds of meetings with state Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) to finalise the SIR roadmap. Several states have uploaded the electoral rolls from their previous intensive revisions on official websites.

For instance, Delhi’s CEO website hosts the 2008 voter list from its last SIR, while Uttarakhand’s last such revision dates back to 2006. In Bihar, the EC used the 2003 rolls as a reference for the ongoing revision. Most states conducted their previous SIR exercises between 2002 and 2004.

Officials said states have largely completed mapping current voters against the rolls from their last intensive revision.

The SIR aims to enhance the accuracy of voter lists by removing illegal foreign entries. This move comes amid ongoing crackdowns on undocumented migrants from countries such as Bangladesh and Myanmar.