The plan is to prepare new voter lists in all states by March 2026. Election officials in all states have been instructed that Aadhaar card will be accepted as the 12th document.
The purpose of updating the voter list
The Commission claims its focus is on Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, and Puducherry, where elections are due by May 2026. The purpose of the SIR is to remove duplicate voters from electoral rolls and ensure that the voter is an Indian citizen.
Such a review is being conducted after two decades, as increasing urbanization and migration have necessitated it. The situation here is as follows: Andhra Pradesh had 55 million voters in 2003-2004, but now has 66 million. Uttar Pradesh had 115 million voters in 2003, and now has 159 million. Delhi had 11 million voters in 2008, and now has 15 million.
It was decided at the meeting that BLOs would visit every voter's home and deliver pre-field forms. Every voter who turns 18 by December 31st will be considered included in this process. There are 991 million voters across the country. Bihar has the largest number of voters, of which 18 are registered voters.
The process for approximately 80 million voters has been completed. Between 2002 and 2004, 700 million voters were registered in the SIR. Therefore, it is believed that only 210 million voters will need to provide the necessary documents.
