ECI extends SIR deadline for 5 states; Bengal excluded
What's the story
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has extended the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) deadline for five states and one Union Territory by a week. The new deadline applies to Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Uttar Pradesh. The revised schedule now gives Tamil Nadu and Gujarat until December 19, 2025, for their SIR submissions.
New dates
Revised SIR deadlines for Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andaman
Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands now have until December 23, 2025, to submit their SIRs. This is a change from the earlier deadline of December 18, 2025. Uttar Pradesh has been given time till December 31, 2025, for its SIR submission, an extension from the previous deadline of December 26. However, West Bengal is not on the list.
Bengal
Bengal CM threatens dharna
Bengal has been against the exercise, with its CM Mamata Banerjee calling it "unplanned and dangerous" as the state heads for election in the first half of 2026. The issue has been compounded by the deaths of several Booth-level officers (BLOs), which the TMC has linked to SIR related workload. On Friday, Banerjee warned that she will sit on dharna if even one eligible person's name is struck off the voter list.
Previous extension
ECI's earlier extension for 12 states, UTs
On November 30, the ECI had extended the SIR schedule by a week in 12 states and Union Territories. This was done to give voters more time to ensure their names are correctly included in the electoral rolls before upcoming elections. BLOs and agents also got an additional seven days to share lists of absent, shifted, dead, and duplicate voters.