Assam is gearing up for a crucial special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls before the early 2026 state assembly elections. The process intends to refine and update the list of voters, accounting for recent demographic changes, ensuring precision and accuracy in the electoral database. The Election Commission of India has instructed the state to complete the revision with huge voter mapping and verification exercises throughout the state.
Key Points of the Electoral Roll Update
Assam Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anurag Goel has issued comprehensive guidelines to all district election officers (DEOs) and Booth Level Officers (BLOs) for ensuring complete roll revision preparedness. The revision includes verifying house numbers against entries of voters, accounting for voters without registered house numbers, and preparing lists of and families having 10 or more voters. BLOs have also been responsible for collecting requisite documents like birth certificates, photos, parent voter IDs, and address proofs for new voters, whereas death certificates will be considered to remove names of dead voters from the rolls.
The revision is particularly important because it is the first complete electoral roll update since the 2023 delimitation, which reconfigured the boundaries of all 126 Assam assembly constituencies. The move intends to correct irregularities and ensure free and fair elections.
Challenges and Government Focus
The exercise also addresses concerns of illegal voter inclusions and population shifts in certain areas, which have been brought to the forefront by Assam’s Chief Minister. The exercise is believed to be crucial in upholding the integrity of the electoral process, especially in places with complex population data. More BLOs have been designated to new or redistributed polling booths to assist in the work overload, and election officials are prohibited from other assignments to focus on this revision. Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) elections are approaching as well, with independent electoral roll activities being carried out in Bodoland districts to facilitate smooth parallel elections.
Summing up, Assam is getting ready for a painful but crucial voter roll update process which will be very important in next year’s assembly elections. This exercise aims to correctly update the electoral rolls, avoid electoral corruption, and maintain democratic principles at the ground level in the state.
