Election Commission of India asks Tripura to prepare for SIR

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, February 20, 2026

The Election Commission of India has directed Chief Electoral Officers of 22 states and Union Territories, including Tripura, to complete preparatory work for a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls scheduled to begin in April 2026.

In a communication to the Chief Electoral Officers of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Ladakh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, NCT of Delhi, Odisha, Punjab, Sikkim, Tripura, Telangana and Uttarakhand, the Commission referred to its June 24, 2025 order mandating the SIR across all states and Union Territories.

The poll panel said that, in continuation of the June 24 directive, it had on July 5, 2025 instructed all Chief Electoral Officers, except Bihar, to initiate pre-revision activities for the exercise.

It further stated that the SIR was announced on October 27, 2025 in 12 states and Union Territories, where the process is currently underway.

The Commission said the revision in the remaining states and Union Territories is expected to commence from April 2026 and asked the concerned officials to complete preparatory work at the earliest.

The SIR exercise has drawn criticism from opposition parties, including the Congress and some regional parties, which have termed it arbitrary. The revision process is ongoing in several states, including some that are scheduled to go to polls.

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