New Delhi, Nov 5: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has set January 21, 2027, as the deadline for publishing the final electoral rolls under its Special Summary Revision (SSR), an exercise aimed at identifying eligible voters left out of the rolls and enrolling first-time electors. The revision will give voters an opportunity to submit claims and objections against the draft lists, with the process scheduled to conclude ahead of the final publication.
The poll panel announced the schedule on Thursday, outlining a phased exercise in states and Union Territories where the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has recently concluded or its third phase is currently underway. The Commission clarified that the SSR will not take place simultaneously across the country, with separate schedules to be announced for several regions.
Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Nagaland, the National Capital Territory of Delhi, Tripura and Telangana will receive their SSR schedules later, according to the ECI. The exercise in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh will also be undertaken at a later stage, taking into account cold weather conditions in these hilly regions.
For areas covered under the announced schedule, election authorities must complete the rationalisation and rearrangement of polling stations by November 20. This will be followed by the preparation and publication of integrated draft electoral rolls by November 30, marking the beginning of the period for electors to scrutinise their details and raise objections.
The claims and objections window will remain open from November 30 to December 12. Electors who find discrepancies in the draft rolls or believe their names have been left out can approach the designated election authorities during this period. The Commission has directed officials to complete the disposal of all claims and objections by January 16, 2027, before publishing the final lists five days later.
The ECI has also issued operational instructions to Booth Level Officers (BLOs), District Election Officers (DROs), Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and other officials responsible for implementing the revision.
As part of the transparency measures, Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) in the respective states and Union Territories will issue press notes during the exercise. These updates will include photographs of EROs handing over weekly lists of claims and objections to political parties, along with information on the appeals process.
The CEOs will also inform the public and political parties about the final publication of the rolls, provide summaries of elector details and explain the procedure for filing appeals against decisions taken during the revision.
The latest schedule follows instructions issued by the ECI on September 29 for a special enrolment drive across at least 20 states and Union Territories to identify eligible young voters and first-time electors who remain outside the electoral rolls. The newly announced timeline formally sets out the next stage of that enrolment effort, with the final lists expected to incorporate the outcomes of the claims, objections and verification process.
