The Election Commission announced the full schedule for the annual Special Summary Revision (SSR), giving voters a chance to get their names included in the voters' list. The announcement came as the row over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision of the electoral roll refuses to die down.
What is Special Summary Revision (SSR)? How is it different from SIR? IN which states will this SSR be implemented? How can voters get their name included in the list during the SSR process? Here's your guide:
What is Special Summary Revision (SSR)?
The SSR is an annual exercise done by the EC to update the electoral roll.
As per Rule 25(1) of RER 1960, there are following types of revision:
- Intensive revision.
- Summary revision.
- Partly intensive and partly summary
According to the Election Commission, the SSR of electoral rolls involves two main stages:
1. Pre-revision activities, which mainly include training of official, house-to-house verification by the Booth Level Officers (BLO) for identification of unenrolled eligible electors, identification of discrepancies, removal of multiple/shifted/dead electors, standardisation of addresses, rationalisation and modification of polling stations, updation of control tables, preparation of website, integration of supplements and preparation of draft roll.
2. Revision activities: The actual revision starts with the publication of the draft electoral roll, the EC explains. With the publication of the draft electoral roll, the ERO invites claims and objections from all eligible citizens and after processing such applications, with due procedure, inclusion/deletions/correction of entries is carried out by the ERO.
Discrepancies already identified by BLOs during the pre-revision activities are also taken-up for removal during this period. All the inclusions, deletions and corrections carried out during this period are updated in the electoral roll database, and the Electoral Roll is finally published on the date as per the approved schedule.
Why is SSR being conducted?
The SSR is being conducted to ensure that no eligible citizen is left out and no ineligible person gets included or remains in the Electoral Roll, according to the Election Commission's note.
This comes amid controversy over the SIR which was first conducted in Bihar, just ahead of the assembly elections in the state. Since then, the SIR has been complete many states. According to reports, more than 13 lakh voters were deleted from the list across the country during the SIR.
Many activists, political parties and citizens complained that these eligible voters were also "left out" from the electoral roll.
How is SSR different from SIR?
Under SIR, which stands for Special Intensive Revision, a new electoral roll is prepared through a more intensive enumeration exercise.
Enumeration forms are distributed to each of the existing electors, and BLOs undertake the enumeration process. The draft roll is then prepared based on duly submitted forms, followed by a claims-and-objections process.
This means an existing entry under the SIR is not simply carried forward as it is in SSR, the Hindustan Times explained. An individual must follow the enumeration and verification process to ensure their name is included in the revised roll.
The SSR is an annual exercise. While the SSR uses the last final roll as the baseline, the SIR uses 2002-04 rolls.
What's the latest you need to know about SSR?
After the controversial SIR, the Election Commission announced the schedule for the SSR in 17 states. The poll body said, "The SSR being carried out under Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, with reference to 01.01.2027 [January 1, 2027] as the qualifying date."
The EC issued an order October 15, directing electoral registration officers (EROs) to publish an integrated draft roll, invite claims and objections, and dispose of them before publishing the final roll.
SSR full schedule
The Election Commission released the full schedule of the SSR exercise. The notice states that the draft publication will be released on November 12, a claims-and-objections window will be opened between November 12 and December 11.
The disposal of claims will be done by December 28, and final electoral roll will be published on January 4, 2027.
The exercise also seeks advance applications from people who will become eligible on April 1, July 1 and October 1, 2027.
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Who can apply to be in voters list under SSR?
The Election Commission said that in order to ensure maximum participation of the young/first time voters, all prospective electors eligible on January 1, 2027 and those who become eligible on three subsequent qualifying dates - April 1, 2027, July 1, 2027 and October 1,2027 - can also send their advance applications for enrolment.
The Election Commission also said that the ERO shall make maximum efforts to ensure applications are received from:
a. All Un-enrolled eligible citizens (eligible as on October 1, 2026 or prior to this date)
b. All prospective electors (eligible as on January 1, 2027)
c. All prospective electors (eligible on three subsequent qualifying dates i.e. 1st April, 1st July, 1st October, 2027)
How can you get your names included in the voter list under SSR?
One can fill up:
Form 6 for inclusion as a voter (How to fill Form 6)
Form 6A for inclusion of name in the roll by an overseas elector
Form 7 for objections to the proposed inclusion of a name/deletion of name in the existing Electoral Roll
Form 8 for shifting, corrections and other specified changes.
The EC encouraged voters to fill Forms online through Voter Service Portal (voters.eci.gov.in) or ECINET App. Such applications will be signed electronically by the elector based on AADHAR enabled E-sign.
Is a voter required to show Aadhaar Number during SSR?
The applicant can "voluntarily" furnish Aadhaar Number in Form-6 and Form-8. No one can be denied inclusion in the electoral roll if they fail to produce their Aadhaar number.
"However, no application for inclusion of name in electoral roll shall be denied, and no entries in electoral roll shall be deleted for inability of an individual to furnish or intimate Aadhaar Number," the Election Commission said.
In which states will the SSR be conducted?
The SSR will be conducted, according to EC notice, in 17 States/UTs, including the states where
elections to the Legislative Assemblies are due early next year. They are: Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Puducherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal.
The SSR will be announced later in states/UTs where SIR is going on or has just been completed: These states are: Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, NCT of Delhi, Odisha, Sikkim, Tripura, and Telangana.
In three states/UTs, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, where SIR has not been started so far, the schedule for roll revision will be announced in due course of time, keeping in view their weather conditions, the Election Commission said.
How will EC conduct SSR?
The Election Commission said there will be no house-to-house visits by BLOs to electors under the "revision, being Summary Revision in nature."
After field verification, if new polling stations are required, the same shall be finalised by the district election officers in consultation with the political parties.
Help desks will be set up at district/AC level to facilitate enrolment of electors, especially the migrant, vulnerable and marginalised.
Special drives and special camps to be organised.
Maximum limits for submitting Form 7 has been prescribed by the Election Commission in its letter No. 23/Inst/2026-ERS dated 9th October, 2026.