Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Monday clarified that Assam was excluded from the list of states undergoing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls due to the state’s unique provisions under the Citizenship Act.
He said the Election Commission of India (ECI) would issue a separate order for conducting the exercise in the northeastern state.
Assam was notably absent from the list of 12 states and Union Territories where the nationwide electoral roll revision will commence on November 4.
Kumar explained that a Supreme Court-monitored process to verify citizenship in Assam is nearing completion, and therefore, the state’s inclusion in the current revision round was deferred.
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“Under the Citizenship Act, Assam follows separate provisions regarding citizenship verification. Since the court-supervised exercise is almost over, the June 24 order on the SIR will not apply to Assam. A distinct order and timeline for the state will be announced soon,” Kumar said at a press briefing.
While the SIR will proceed in other poll-bound states — West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry — Assam’s schedule will be finalised independently.
According to the Election Commission, the second phase of the SIR will begin on November 4, with the enumeration process continuing till December 4.
The draft rolls will be published on December 9, followed by the final list on February 7.
