EC rolls out SIR Phase III from May 30 across 16 states, 3 UTs; J&K and Ladakh excluded

The Election Commission of India on Thursday announced the schedule for the third phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, which will cover 16 states and three Union Territories beginning May 30.

The exercise will start in Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim and Manipur on May 30, marking the launch of the final nationwide phase of the electoral roll revision.

In a statement, the Election Commission said the Phase III schedule was planned in view of the shared field machinery engaged in the ongoing Census house-listing exercise.

“With this, the SIR of electoral rolls will cover the entire country in Phase III except Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. After considering the completion of Phase II of the Census in these three State/UTs and due consideration of the weather in the upper reaches and snow-bound areas, the SIR schedule for these three State/UTs will be announced later,” the Commission said.

Under the schedule, house-to-house verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will begin in phases: Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu from June 4; Uttarakhand from June 8; Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana and Chandigarh from June 15; Telangana and Punjab from June 25; Karnataka, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Delhi from June 30; Nagaland from August 16; and Tripura from September 15.

The Election Commission said more than 3.94 lakh Booth Level Officers will conduct door-to-door verification of 36.73 crore electors during Phase III, assisted by 3.42 lakh Booth Level Agents appointed by political parties.

Calling it a participative exercise, the Commission urged political parties to appoint Booth Level Agents for every polling booth to ensure transparency and wider participation throughout the revision process.