New Delhi [India], October 27 : The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) leaders on Monday welcomed the Election Commission's decision to hold the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision in 12 States and Union Territories.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar said that the poll body will conduct the second phase of the SIR in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, with the final list to be published on February 7, 2026.
The ECI's move triggered a political row between the NDA and the INDIA bloc in several states.
Union Minister and West Bengal BJP President Sukanta Majumdar took a swipe at those opposing the exercise in the state, and said, "SIR was announced today in 12 states, including Bengal, and the process will start from tomorrow. The Election Commission had already announced that SIR was going to happen. Some people were jumping around in Bengal over this. Now, let's see what those people will do because SIR has to happen anyway. Even before this, SIR has been done 12 times."
Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari welcomed the move and said the exercise will help correct errors in the voter list.
Kumari said that during her election, around 30,000 names were missing from the rolls when Congress was in power, adding that the current government is working to "rectify those wrongs.
"Speaking to the reporters, Diya Kumari said, "What is important is important. It should be done. It is good. Disparities in the voter list should be rectified. So, I feel it is really good. When I was contesting elections, at least 30,000 voters' names were missing from the list. Congress was in power then. Everyone knows what they do. We are rectifying the wrong. It is good."
Rajasthan Dy CM Prem Chand Bairwa also thanked the Election Commission and emphasised that the step will remove all the errors from the voter list.
"I would like to thank the Election Commission. For fake voters whose names were listed in 2 places, after investigation, the voter's name will remain in the list only in the correct manner. SIR was also done in Bihar, and today SIR has been announced for 12 states. The Election Commission has done a good job. This will remove all the errors that are there in the voter list," he told ANI.
While Uttar Pradesh Minister and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party chief Om Prakash Rajbhar called the SIR exercise a move to ensure "genuine voting."
The UP minister said, "The Election Commission's initiative to clean up voter lists by removing deceased individuals and those registered in multiple locations aims to ensure genuine voting."
On the contrary, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam-led Alliance in Tamil Nadu called for an all-party meeting on November 2 to discuss the SIR Phase-2.
A crucial consultation meeting, chaired by DMK Party Chief and Chief Minister MK Stalin, was held at Anna Arivalayam, Chennai, earlier today to discuss the development. The meeting, which lasted from 6 pm to 7 pm, decided to convene an all-party meeting on November 2 to address practical difficulties and plan strategies, given the monsoon season.
In a post on X, Tamil Nadu CM Stalin said that the SIR exercise during the monsoon months of November and December will bring "serious practical difficulties."
"To carry out Special Intensive Revision just months before the election, and especially during the monsoon months of November and December, brings serious practical difficulties. To conduct SIR in a hasty and opaque manner is nothing but a conspiracy by the ECI to rob citizens of their rights and help the BJP," Stalin said.
Stalin's objection comes as the Election Commission said that the printing and training will take place from October 28 to November 3, followed by an Enumeration Phase from November to December 4. The Draft Electoral Rolls will be published on December 9, followed by a claims and objections period from December 9 to January 8, 2026. The Notice Phase (for hearing and verification) will take place between December 9 and January 31, 202, with publication of Final Electoral Rolls on February 7, 2026.
Tamil Nadu CM further alleged that in the first phase of the SIR exercise in Bihar, large numbers of women, minorities and people from SC and ST communities were removed from the electoral rolls, adding that "the absence of transparency has fuelled serious suspicion in the public mind."
"Now the ECI has announced that #SIR will begin in Tamil Nadu from next week. Following the announcement, we held discussions with our alliance partners, and on that basis, an all-party meeting will be convened on 2 November to decide the next course of action. The right to vote is the foundation of democracy. Tamil Nadu will fight against any attempt to murder it, and Tamil Nadu will win," MK Stalin asserted.
BJP leader CR Kesavan hit back at DMK and said, "Why is the DMK so nervous and so rattled when they hear about SIR? The real reason why the DMK is piggybacking on their brother Rahul Gandhi's failed and fraudulent toolkit of slandering Constitutional institutions is because the DMK is desperately trying to divert, deflect and distract attention from the dismal misrule of their failed government. The past 4.5 years in Tamil Nadu have been the darkest chapters in the history of the state, and the people are ready to boot out this unpopular DMK government."
Meanwhile, Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel questioned the Centre over the identification of illegal immigrants.
Speaking to the reporters, Bhupesh Baghel said, "The announcement of SIR in Chhattisgarh has been made, but the Election Commission should tell how many Bangladeshis have been identified in Bihar. How many people have been excluded? Because through SIR, these people are talking about driving out foreign citizens. Even till now, the Union Home Ministry has not been able to tell how many people from Pakistan are living in Chhattisgarh."
Echoing Baghel's remarks, Congress leader Pramod Tiwari questioned the ECI, asking for the number of "infiltrators" removed from the electoral roll in the first phase in Bihar.
Speaking to ANI, Tiwari said, "From the Home Minister to the Prime Minister, they were talking about infiltrators, but did the Election Commission say how many infiltrators they removed (during SIR in Bihar)? Now they could have shared figures on this."
While the Commission has not announced the number of infiltrators excluded from the final voter list of 7.42 crore electors in Bihar, earlier today, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar listed migration, voters registered at more than one place, names not deleted after death, and a foreign national's name being included in the voter list as factors behind the nationwide SIR.
Further, the Congress leader questioned the Commission for not announcing Assam in the list of 12 States and UTs for the second phase of the SIR exercise, even though the State is likely to undergo an Assembly election in 2026.
"They should have also announced SIR in Assam because elections are almost around the corner there too. Overall, there are many questions," he said.
Earlier today, Gyanesh Kumar stated that separate orders for SIR of the voter list will be issued for Assam as the State has separate provisions under the Citizenship Act.
Addressing a press conference in the national capital, CEC Kumar said that the citizenship verification in Assam, under the supervision of the Supreme Court, is about to be completed.
He said, "Under India's Citizenship Act, there are separate provisions for Assam. Under the supervision of the Supreme Court, the checking of citizenship there is about to be completed. The June 24 SIR order was for the entire country. Under such circumstances, this would not have been applicable to Assam. So, separate orders for revision will be issued for Assam."
Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, 1955, provides for the special provisions for citizenship covered by the Assam Accord.
Congress leader T. S. Singh Deo said, "They want to implement this process across the entire country without admitting their mistake. Chhattisgarh is also included in this... It is not the Election Commission's job to determine who is migrating, who is a citizen of the country. That is the Home Department's job. They are trying to distract attention."
"The second phase of SIR (Special Intensive Revision) is about to be carried out in 12 States and UTs," the CEC said during the press conference in the national capital.
Following the Supreme Court's directions, the ECI has included Aadhaar in the list of 12 indicative documents, as per its September 9 order relating to the SIR in Bihar.
Explaining the position on Aadhaar, CEC Kumar said, "As far as the Aadhaar Card is concerned, the Supreme Court has said that Aadhaar is to be used as per the Aadhaar Act. Section 9 of the Aadhaar Act says that Aadhaar will not be the proof of domicile or citizenship. The Supreme Court has given several rulings that Aadhaar is not proof of date of birth. Keeping this in mind, the Aadhaar authority issued its notification and even today, if you download a new Aadhaar today, the Card mentions that it is neither a proof of date of birth nor domicile or citizenship. Aadhaar Card is proof of identity and can be used for e-signing too."