SIR exercise to create fresh voter list in TN; final rolls by Feb 2026: ECI tells Madras HC

Chennai, Nov 3 The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday told the Madras High Court that, unlike the annual Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls, the upcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Tamil Nadu will result in the creation of an entirely new list of eligible voters across the state.

Appearing before the First Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice G. Arul Murugan, ECI standing counsel Niranjan Rajagopalan clarified the distinction between the two exercises.

He explained that the SSR retains the existing electoral list, requiring only those seeking inclusion, deletion, or correction of their names to apply. In contrast, the SIR mandates a complete re-enumeration of every voter, including those already registered.

Rajagopalan said that under the SIR, every voter must fill out a fresh enumeration form, which can be downloaded from the ECI website or obtained from Booth Level Officers (BLOs).

The BLOs will collect one copy of the filled form, issue an acknowledgment on the duplicate copy retained by the voter, and conduct door-to-door verification to trace individuals who fail to submit the form.

He clarified that voters are not required to attach supporting documents unless discrepancies are found between their enumeration form and the existing rolls.

However, for first-time voters and those who have migrated from other states, a declaration form along with proof of age and identity must be submitted. BLOs will carry sufficient stocks of both enumeration and declaration forms for public distribution.

The ECI counsel told the court that the SIR was announced on October 27 for Tamil Nadu and select other states. Training for officials began the next day and concluded on November 3.

The enumeration process will be conducted from November 4 to December 4, followed by publication of the draft electoral roll on December 9. The period for claims and objections will continue until January 8, 2026, and all related inquiries will be completed by January 31, 2026. The final electoral rolls will be published on February 7, 2026.

Rajagopalan added that the ECI holds Constitutional authority to conduct both SSR and SIR exercises under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and noted that SIR has been carried out at least 10 times previously -- most recently in Tamil Nadu in 2002 and 2005. The objective, he said, is to ensure that no eligible voter is excluded and that no ineligible entries remain on the rolls.

Following the submission, the Division Bench directed the High Court Registry to list all related petitions concerning Tambaram, T. Nagar, and Karur constituencies together for hearing on November 13.

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