ECI extends Maharashtra SIR deadline, final electoral roll due on Nov 4

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Aug 19 revised the schedule for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Maharashtra, pushing the publication of the final electoral roll by nearly a month to Nov 4 from Oct 7.

The poll panel, in an order dated August 19, said the revised schedule was issued after considering a request from the Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer.

Under the new schedule, rationalisation and re-arrangement of polling stations will be completed by Aug 24, while the draft electoral roll will be published on Aug 31. The ECI's decision is important as Congress and NCP (SP) had demanded more time to avoid the exclusion of voters in a big way.

The document collection process in Maharashtra ended on August 17. The exercise involved house-to-house visits by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and collection of enumeration forms from electors. The process had earlier been extended, with the Election Commission allowing additional time for completion of the exercise.

The revised schedule now provides voters with a period from Aug 31 to Sept 30 to file claims and objections against the draft electoral roll. This is 26 days later than the earlier schedule, under which the draft was to be published on Aug 5, and claims and objections could be filed until Sept 4. The notice phase and disposal of claims and objections will also run from Aug 31 to Oct 29.

Under the original schedule, this process was to be carried out from Aug 5 to Oct 3. The final electoral roll will be published on Nov 4, according to the revised schedule. The earlier deadline was Oct 7, meaning the final publication has been pushed back by 28 days.

The revised dates also defer the rationalisation of polling stations. It was originally scheduled to be completed by July 29 but will now be completed by Aug 24. The original SIR schedule had provided for preparation, training and printing from June 20 to June 29, followed by house-to-house visits by BLOs from June 30 to July 29. These stages have now been completed, with the document collection process concluding on Aug 17.

The ECI said all concerned officials and officers should be informed about the revised schedule and that it should be widely publicised through all available media. Political parties are also to be informed about the modified schedule in writing. The SIR is being undertaken with October 1 this year as the qualifying date for Maharashtra.

The ECI's statement on revised schedule comes a day after the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Maharashtra, announced on Tuesday that approximately 2.07 crore voters—representing 21.15% of the state’s total electorate—are set to be excluded from the upcoming Draft Electoral Roll following the completion of the major first phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2026 on Aug 17.

The extensive house-to-house enumeration drive, carried out from June 30 to August 17, 2026, involved Booth Level Officers (BLOs) visiting households across all Assembly Constituencies. Out of Maharashtra’s 9.78 crore registered electors, 7.71 crore (78.85%) successfully submitted signed enumeration forms, while the remaining 2.07 crore were classified under the "Uncollectable Enumeration Form" category due to statutory ineligibility and ground verification findings.

The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer categorised the 2.07 crore uncollected enumeration forms under the ASDD (Absent, Shifted, Deceased, Duplicate) framework comprising Permanently Shifted- 76.80 lakh (7.85%), Absent / Not Found- 75.52 lakh (7.72%), Deceased- 34.81 lakh (3.56%), Duplicate / Enrolled Elsewhere - 17.63 lakh (1.80%) and Others- 2.23 lakh (0.23%).

Of the total 2.07 crore which remain uncollected under the ASDD category -- representing electors who are Absent, Shifted, Deceased, or Duplicate -- 28.61 lakh are from Thane, 26.63 lakh from Mumbai Suburban district, 28.70 lakh from Pune, 14.44 lakh from Nagpur and 10.29 lakh from Nashik. Urban hubs accounted for a significant share of the exclusions. Major district-level uncollected tallies include Thane: 28.61 lakh, Pune: 28.70 lakh, Mumbai Suburban: 26.63 lakh, Nagpur: 14.44 lakh, Nashik: 10.29 lakh and Mumbai City: 9.52 lakh.

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