The Election Commission of India (ECI) is poised to take a significant step in electoral preparation by releasing the draft voter lists following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. The crucial data for four states and union territories will be made public on Tuesday, 23 December 2025.
Revised Schedule and States Under Focus
As per the updated timeline, the draft electoral rolls will be unveiled for Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. This release follows the completion of a thorough door-to-door enumeration process. Initially, the exercise was scheduled to conclude on 11 December, with the draft publication set for 16 December. The Commission has now finalized the new date of 23 December for the public release.
This development comes shortly after similar draft rolls were published for other states, including West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. In those regions, the revision process led to the deletion of approximately 1.5 lakh voter names from the lists, highlighting the SIR's role in cleaning the electoral database.
What is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR)?
The Special Intensive Revision is a comprehensive verification drive undertaken by the ECI. It is initiated when the Commission believes that the standard annual 'Summary Revision' is insufficient to ensure completely accurate voter rolls. This exhaustive process involves multiple methods:
- House-to-house enumeration by officials.
- Distribution and collection of pre-filled forms for verification.
- Facilitation of online submissions and corrections.
- Fresh verification of existing voter data to identify discrepancies.
The ECI derives its authority to conduct an SIR from Article 324 of the Indian Constitution, which empowers it to take necessary actions for the conduct of free and fair elections.
How and Where to Access the Draft Rolls
As per standard protocol, the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) and District Election Officers (DEOs) will supply printed copies of the draft voter lists to all recognized political parties. For the general public, the primary access will be digital.
The draft rolls will be hosted online on the official websites of the respective State/UT CEOs and DEOs. Additionally, separate lists categorizing voters who are absent, have relocated, are deceased, or are registered as duplicates will also be uploaded on these portals for transparency.
Step-by-Step Guide to Check Your Name in the SIR Voter List
Voters can follow this simple process to verify their enrollment:
Step 1: Visit the official ECI portal at https://voters.eci.gov.in/download-eroll and select your state from the dropdown menu.
Step 2: Choose your district and then your specific assembly constituency. The website will display a table of all districts; clicking on your district will reveal a list of assembly seats. Selecting your constituency will typically open a Google Drive folder containing booth-level PDF files of the voter list.
Step 3: Navigate the Booth-level PDFs. The folder contains multiple PDFs, often organized by taluka, village, or polling booth and part numbers. Voters should locate the PDF corresponding to their polling booth (the booth number was indicated on forms during the SIR exercise) and search for their name.
Alternative Method: Voters can also use the National Voters' Service Portal at https://electoralsearch.eci.gov.in/ to search directly using their EPIC (Voter ID) number.
Other Avenues for Verification
If online access is challenging, citizens have several other options to confirm their voter details:
- Check the specific website of your state's Chief Electoral Officer.
- Use the ECINET mobile application.
- Directly contact your Booth Level Officer (BLO), Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), or Assistant Electoral Registration Officer.
The release of the draft roll is not the final step. It will be followed by a period where citizens can file claims and objections to include missing names or correct errors, ensuring the final list is robust and inclusive for the upcoming electoral cycles.
