ECI meets for second time in 4 days, extends SIR dates for Andhra Pradesh and Meghalaya

It has been decided that the final voter list of Andhra Pradesh will be released on October 16 and that of Meghalaya on October 26. File. | Photo credit: ANI

All India’s election commissions met on Wednesday (September 30, 2026), the second such meeting in four days, to decide to extend the deadlines for publishing the final electoral rolls in Andhra Pradesh and Meghalaya, states currently undergoing a special intensive review (SIR) of the electoral rolls.

In an ECI meeting attended by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, it was decided that the final voter list for Andhra Pradesh would be released on October 16 and the voter list for Meghalaya on October 26. The dates were earlier October 3 for Andhra Pradesh and October 7 for Meghalaya.

The claim and objection period in Andhra Pradesh has been extended to October 10.

According to sources, the commission also reviewed the implementation of the measures announced on September 26, 2026. On that date, the EC announced a number of measures to address concerns over the ongoing SIR across the country, including stopping physical hearings of voters who were flagged in the uncharted or logical irregularity categories.

Also Read: SIR in Andhra Pradesh extended for third time; final electoral roll on October 16

It also ruled that the declaration that was attached to Form 6 — normally used for new voter registration — for SIR-related purposes will now be used only if the SIR is conducted in a particular state or Union territory. The declaration was disconnected from non-SIR states on Tuesday (September 29, 2026) evening.

The Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi also announced that Block Level Officers (BLOs) have started going door to door and collecting documents in cases where notices have been issued.

During the September 26 meeting, it was also decided that a committee headed by the Chief Deputy Election Commissioner and including an independent expert from IIT/IIIT will review the ECINet portal through which the voter lists are processed to address concerns about its centralization.

The ECI’s new initiatives come after the controversy over dissenting notes allegedly written by Election Commissioners Mr Sandhu and Mr Joshi regarding the SIR process.

Published – 30 Sep 2026 21:31 IST