Election Commission Likely to Extend SIR Deadline for Multiple States Amid Opposition Criticism

The Election Commission (EC) is likely to extend the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) deadline for Uttar Pradesh and several other states, according to top EC sources who spoke with NDTV. The final decision will be made on Thursday during a meeting where senior Commission officials will evaluate the progress of enumeration form digitisation and submission.

Sources indicate that West Bengal is among the states likely to receive an extension. Previously, the Commission had already extended Kerala's deadline to December 18 from the original date of December 11.

This potential extension follows significant criticism from numerous Opposition parties, who have claimed the EC implemented "impractical" deadlines that placed excessive burden on Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and created difficulties for voters.

During an all-party meeting, the Congress, Trinamool Congress (TMC), CPI(M), and Samajwadi Party (SP) stated that the Commission had disregarded practical realities while advancing a hurried revision schedule. Congress representative Pramod Tiwari commented that the EC had "finally realized" the impossibility of completing the revision within the initial timeframe. He suggested adopting the more thorough schedule used in the 2003 revision and cautioned that avoiding SIR discussions in Parliament demonstrated the government's "unwillingness to let Parliament function."

The TMC claimed that the likely extension confirmed their earlier position that the SIR was "ill-conceived" and initiated without proper preparation. Senior TMC leader Joyprakash Majumdar alleged approximately 40 individuals, including BLOs, had died from stress related to the revision process in West Bengal, describing it as "hasty" and politically motivated.

In Uttar Pradesh, SP president Akhilesh Yadav described the SIR as a "major trouble" for both voters and BLOs, noting that verifying nearly 16 crore voters within a single month was "impossible."

According to current EC data, one day before the SIR deadline, 50.8 crore Enumeration Forms have been digitised, with approximately 23.22 lakh forms still pending. Since the commencement of SIR Phase II on November 4, a total of 50.96 crore forms have been distributed.

In Kerala, 2.74 crore forms have been digitised—approximately 98.5 percent—leading the EC to extend the submission deadline to December 18.

Across the 12 States and Union Territories participating in SIR Phase II, the elector count as of October 27 was 50.99 crore. Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, and Puducherry have achieved 100 percent digitisation, while all other States have exceeded 99 percent completion, with Kerala being the exception.

A formal announcement regarding deadline extensions for additional states is anticipated following tomorrow's meeting.