EC extends SIR deadline by a week, it's Dec 11 now

NEW DELHI: Election Commission connected Sunday extended the timeline for SIR Phase 2 crossed each 12 states and Union territories, allowing an further week to booth level officers (BLOs) to stock the database of absent, shifted, dormant and duplicate electors with booth level agents (BLAs) of governmental parties anterior to work of the draught electoral roll, truthful arsenic to guarantee afloat transparency.The enumeration play volition present proceed till Dec 11 alternatively of the earlier Dec 4. The draught electoral rotation volition beryllium published connected Dec 16 alternatively of Dec 9. Claims and objections tin beryllium submitted until Jan 15, 2026, and last rotation volition beryllium retired connected Feb 14 (Feb 7 earlier).The stretching of each legs of SIR comes amid reports of alleged malpractices successful states. Instances see submission of enumeration forms by ineligible persons oregon amerciable Bangladeshi immigrants successful the sanction of dormant electors, and login credentials of dormant BLOs being misused to upload EFs signed successful the sanction of dormant electors.Next polls owed lone successful April-May, EC tin agelong SIR by a week Even though these cases whitethorn beryllium limited, determination is simply a presumption that sharing the database of absent, permanently shifted, dormant and duplicate entries with the parties done their BLAs adjacent earlier the draught rolls are published volition let rival parties an accidental to entity to immoderate incorrect findings. They tin besides constituent retired attempts to sneak successful ineligible persons into the draught rotation done impersonation of dormant voters.An authoritative said since the adjacent circular of assembly polls successful 5 states/UT, including West Bengal, is owed lone successful April-May 2026, the canvass authorization has clip to agelong SIR by a week if it helps guarantee a cleanable electoral roll.

Any errors oregon anomalies tin beryllium corrected successful advance, minimising doubts, apprehensions and complaints aft the draught rolls are published, the authoritative underlined.Incidentally, the hold successful SIR timeline comes adjacent arsenic the enumeration workout is good connected track, with EFs of 84.3% electors crossed 12 states/UTs collected by far. The EF postulation stands astatine 100% successful Lakshadweep, 96.6% successful Goa, 95.6% successful Rajasthan, 95.2% successful West Bengal, 92.7% successful Madhya Pradesh, 92.1% successful Puducherry, 88.7% successful Chhattisgarh, 87.6% successful Tamil Nadu, 86% successful Gujarat, 83.6% successful Andaman & Nicobar, 81.2% successful Kerala and 69.5% successful UP.

EC officials said the advancement of enactment successful each 5 states/UT owed for polls successful mid-2026, including West Bengal, is satisfactory.As regards UP, they underlined that assembly canvass is owed determination lone successful mid-2027, giving EC ample scope to widen the timeline further specifically for the state.