The Election Commission has ordered a “special revision” of electoral rolls in Assam on Monday, November 17. The final voter list of Assam will be released on February 10, 2026, the poll panel said in a statement.
The announcement comes months ahead of the 2026 Assam Assembly elections.
1- Is it different from SIR?
Officials said the “special revision” falls somewhere between the annual special summary revision and the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
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“It is in a way an upgrade of the special summary revision…instead of enumeration forms, booth-level officials will verify voters on a pre-filled list,” a senior official was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
Last month, the Election Commission ordered SIR for the following states: Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.
Among them, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and West Bengal will go to polls in 2026.
2- What did the Assam CM say?
Bihar is ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma welcomed the Election Commission’s decision to conduct a Special Revision (SR) of the electoral rolls in Assam and assured the state government of its full cooperation.
”The Government of Assam welcomes the decision of the Election Commission of India to conduct a special revision of the electoral rolls with 1/1/2026 as the qualifying date”, the Chief Minister said on X.
3- What is the SR schedule?
According to the guidelines issued by the poll panel for the Chief Electoral Officer of Assam, January 1, 2026 will be the qualifying date for the state to conduct a special revision.
According to the schedule, door-to-door verification will take place from November 22 to December 20. The integrated draft voter list will be published on December 27, and the final list will be published on February 10 of the following year.
According to the schedule, door-to-door verification will take place from November 22 to December 20. The integrated draft electoral list will be published on December 27 and the final list on February 10 next year.
Last month, the Election Commission ordered SIR for the states of Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.
Among them, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and West Bengal will go to polls in 2026.
4- Eligibility of voters
Election Commission officials are required to ensure that no eligible citizen is omitted or ineligible person is included in the voter list. During the exercise, it is mandated for the election officials that every person entitled under Article 326 of the Constitution of India and Sections 16 and 19 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 should register as a voter.
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Every person has the right to be a voter and, upon application, to be entered in the list of voters for this electoral district, if he is:
A. a citizen of India;
b. Not less than 18 years old as of 01.01.2026;
C. Ordinary resident of the electoral district;
d. Is not disqualified under any law; and
E. Not of unsound mind.
5- What is the mandate of the CEO?
The Director General of Assam shall ensure:
-All registered family members are kept in the same section and in the same place, ensuring that no family is divided.
-Correct creation and reorganization of sections and parts reflecting correct house numbers whenever required.
-The polling stations are located on the ground floor/road entrance level.
-100% removal of multiple items/dead voters/permanently shifted voters via Form 7.
-100% verification of polling stations and consultation with political parties for the rationalization of polling stations.
– Record of omitted/potential voters in the database.
– Good quality correct images according to ECI standards.
6- How will the house-to-house verification take place?
BLO will collect the following information.
-Multiple entries/dead voters/permanently displaced voters.
– Potential voters who can become voters by January 1, 2026
7- No polling station with more than 1200 votes
Based on the enumeration, officials will assess the need for new polling stations, with no polling station having more than 1,200 voters, except with the prior approval of the Commission.
8-Aadhaar numbers
Applicant can voluntarily provide his Aadhaar number in Form 6 and Form 8.
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However, no application for inclusion of a name in the electoral roll will be rejected and no entries from the electoral roll will be deleted on the ground of failure of the individual to provide or mention the Aadhaar number.
9- Involvement of political parties
After the revision schedule is published, representatives of the electoral commission will meet with representatives of political parties.
10-Final publication
The Director General was requested to obtain prior written permission from the Electoral Commission for the final publication of the electoral rolls.
The Government of Assam welcomes the decision of the Election Commission of India to conduct a special revision of the electoral rolls with 01.01.2026 as the qualifying date.
The request for final publication will be submitted by the Director General to the Electoral Commission by February 14, 2026
Key things
- The purpose of the special review is to ensure that all eligible voters are registered and ineligible voters are removed.
- Door-to-door verification will increase the accuracy of voter lists.
- The process emphasizes cooperation with political parties and compliance with constitutional mandates.
