• Source:JND
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The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday ordered 'Special Revision' of electoral polls in Assam as the state is slated to go for elections next year, 2026.

According to the instructions issued by the poll authority for the chief electoral officer (CEO) of Assam, January 1, 2026 will be the qualifying date for the state to carry out the Special Revision.

The announcement came after the poll body excluded the state from Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the second phase.

Assam was expected to be included in the phase but the ECI highlighted two reasons for its exclusion. CEC Gyanesh Kumar had said that there are separate provisions for Assam in the Citizenship Act 1955, which is 6A.

Secondly, the issue of citizenship is being probed under the supervision of the Supreme Court in Assam and is likely to be concluded soon.

ALSO READ: SIR In India: Why Assam Is Excluded From Second Phase Despite Assembly Elections Next Year? EC Responds

How is Special Revision Different From SIR?

According to the poll body officials, the Special Revision is different from SIR, and in fact, it stands somewhere between the annual special summary revision (SSR) and the SIR of electoral rolls. 

According to Rule 25(1) of Registration of Electors Rules (RER), 1960, summary revision is less a moderate exercise; it generally means updating the existing rolls with the addition of new voters, deletion of duplicates and doubles.

The draft is then published and objections are sought before finally publishing the rolls.

On the contrary, the SIR is more intensively carried out, often with the preparation of fresh rolls. In SIR, house-to-house visit is done by BLOs and BLAs. It is done once after a long time. This time, it is being conducted after over 20 years.

While the exact nature of the special revision has not been revealed by the poll authorities, features like home-to-home visits, verification, and rationalization of polling stations are likely to be included in it.  

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As part of the ongoing SIR across the country, EC had last month ordered SIR for Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Puducherry, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshadweep.

Among these, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and West Bengal will go to the polls in 2026. The SIR is to be announced separately for Assam, where elections are also due in 2026.

(With PTI Inputs)

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