Team Goemkarponn
Panaji: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has frozen the electoral roll in Goa from Monday midnight, marking the beginning of the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voters’ lists across 12 States and Union Territories.
The month-long door-to-door verification exercise will be conducted from November 4 to December 4, following preparatory work and training that begins on October 28.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, addressing a press conference in New Delhi, said the SIR’s second phase will cover Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
In Goa, the State Election Commission (SEC) has decided to use the Goa Legislative Assembly electoral roll, prepared under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, as the base document for the upcoming Zilla Panchayat elections. The roll will reflect entries valid as of January 1, 2025, and published on January 6, 2025, including all additions, deletions, and corrections made up to October 1, 2025. The ZP elections are scheduled for December 13.
Kumar said the ECI had reviewed the Bihar SIR exercise with all 36 State Election Commissioners, noting that the current nationwide drive is the ninth such revision since Independence, and the first since 2002–2004.
The draft electoral roll for the second phase States will be published on December 9, 2025, with the claims and objections period open until January 8, 2026. Hearings on claims will take place between January 9 and January 31, and the final roll is set for publication on February 7, 2026.
Highlighting the goal of the initiative, Kumar said the SIR aims to ensure “no eligible voter is left out and no ineligible voter remains on the rolls.” He added that the Bihar exercise concluded successfully with zero appeals, resulting in a final list of 7.42 crore electors published on September 30. Bihar will hold its assembly elections in two phases on November 6 and 11, with counting on November 14.
Political parties across several States have repeatedly raised concerns over the accuracy of electoral rolls, and the ECI has assured that the ongoing SIR will address those issues comprehensively.
