New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered a Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls in 17 states and Union Territories, setting January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for voter eligibility. The final electoral rolls are scheduled to be published on January 4, 2027.
The exercise will cover states including Assam, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan, along with the Union Territories of Puducherry, Lakshadweep and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
In a communication to the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs), the Commission said the revision would be carried out under Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, covering states where Assembly elections are due early next year.
The order follows the Commission’s September 29 instructions to conduct a special drive to enrol eligible voters who may have been left out, particularly young people and first-time voters.
Electoral Roll Revision: Important Dates
According to the schedule announced by the ECI:
- November 2, 2026: Deadline for rationalising and rearranging polling stations
- November 12, 2026: Publication of draft electoral rolls
- November 12 to December 11, 2026: Period for filing claims and objections
- December 28, 2026: Deadline to dispose of claims and objections
- January 4, 2027: Publication of final electoral rolls
Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) will also accept advance applications from voters who become eligible on the subsequent qualifying dates of April 1, July 1 and October 1, 2027.
How SSR Differs From SIR
The Special Summary Revision is separate from the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), which has been at the centre of political and legal disputes.
While an SIR involves rebuilding electoral rolls through a more intensive verification process, an SSR focuses on updating existing rolls by adding eligible voters, correcting entries and removing ineligible or duplicate entries in accordance with the rules.
The ECI said the latest SSR is part of its regular electoral roll revision exercise. The previous round began with a schedule issued on August 7, 2024, and the final rolls were published between January 6 and 10, 2025.
Which States Are Not Covered Yet?
The Commission said the SSR schedule for another 17 states and Union Territories would be announced later, as the SIR process is either underway or has only recently been completed there.
These include Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Delhi, Odisha, Sikkim, Tripura and Telangana.
For Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, the schedule will be announced separately, taking local weather conditions into account.
ECI Sets Rules for Polling Stations and Deletion Requests
The Commission has directed state chief secretaries to ensure that election officials, including CEOs, district election officers, EROs, assistant EROs, booth-level officer supervisors and booth-level officers, receive adequate staff and resources.
It has also instructed that no post notified as a district election officer, ERO or assistant ERO should remain vacant during the revision process.
In a separate order dated October 9, 2026, the ECI prescribed maximum limits for submitting Form 7, which is used to raise objections to entries and seek deletions from electoral rolls. The measure is intended to discourage bulk filing of applications by individual electors.
EROs must personally verify cases where proposed deletions exceed 2% of the total electors at a polling station. They must also cross-check cases where the same person files objections in more than five cases.
The Commission has further directed that no polling station should have more than 1,200 electors without its approval. Polling stations should be located on the ground floor, and voters should not have to travel more than two kilometres or cross natural barriers to reach them.
Families living at the same door or flat number should not be split across different sections or polling stations. Electoral addresses must also be standardised, with notional house numbers clearly identified.
Election officials have been asked to examine existing data on elector-population ratios, gender ratios and the number of voters aged 18 to 19, and prepare plans to address gaps in voter registration.