The states and Union Territories are: the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Among these, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, and West Bengal will go to the polls in 2026. Kumar clarified that in Assam, where polls are also due in 2026, the revision of electoral rolls will be announced separately.

Phase two of the special intensive revision (SIR) exercise will begin on November 4 with the enumeration state and continue till December 4. The EC will release the draft electoral rolls on December 9, and the final electoral rolls will be published on February 7.

Kumar said a separate provision of the Citizenship Act was applicable to Assam.

“Under the Citizenship Act, there are separate provisions for citizenship in Assam. Under the supervision of the Supreme Court, the exercise of checking citizenship is about to be completed. The June 24 SIR order was for the entire country. Under such circumstances, this would not have applied to Assam,” Kumar said.

“So there will be separate revision orders issued for Assam, and a separate SIR date will be announced,” he said.

The CEC said the ongoing SIR is the ninth such exercise since Independence, with the last one happening in 2002-04.

He highlighted that the first phase of the SIR was completed in Bihar with zero appeals. “The second phase will be conducted in 12 states and Union Territories. SIR will ensure no eligible elector is left out and no ineligible elector is included in poll rolls,” Kumar said at a press conference.