NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has extended the timeline for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Delhi and five states, giving voters and election officials additional time to complete key stages of the exercise.
The revised schedule covers Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Telangana and Nagaland, along with Delhi. The Commission issued the revised timelines following requests from the respective election authorities.
In Delhi, the deadline for filing claims and objections has been extended from October 30 to November 25. The period for issuing notices and disposing of claims will continue until December 15. The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on December 22.
In Maharashtra, the deadline for filing claims and objections has been extended from October 26 to November 13. The disposal process will continue until November 25, with the final roll due on November 30.
The timelines for disposing of claims and objections have also been revised in the other states. The process will continue until November 20 in Andhra Pradesh and Haryana, November 25 in Nagaland and November 26 in Telangana. The final electoral rolls in all five states are scheduled for publication on November 30.
The Election Commission has directed state election authorities to publicise the revised schedule so voters are aware of the additional time available to seek inclusion or correction of their details.
The changes follow the Supreme Court’s observations on the SIR process in Delhi. The court had asked the Commission not to insist on a cut-off date for receiving Form 6 applications and to continue accepting them while verifying the information and seeking supporting documents where required.
The SIR exercise involves checking electoral roll entries and processing claims and objections before the final lists are published. The revised dates provide additional time for the process to be completed before the rolls are finalised.
With inputs from media reports