EC asks CEOs to make preparations: SIR to start in Punjab, Haryana, HP from April

“Since, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the above States/UTs is expected to start from April, 2026, you are requested to complete preparatory work related to SIR, at the earliest,” says the letter signed by Pawan Dewan, Secretary of the Commission. The letter by EC assumes significance in Punjab as the assembly elections are due in early 2027. As part of the nationwide exercise, Punjab has been included in the next (remaining) phase of SIR.

Preparatory activities include finalising BLO training, polling-station mapping/rationalisation, logistics for door-to-door verification, and coordination with district electoral officers. A voter-mapping exercise conducted in Punjab in October 2025 had

already shown that 55% of the state’s approximately 2.14 crore voters matched names from the 2003 rolls, potentially exempting a large section from fresh document submission after verification. The CEO Punjab office has been conducting internal groundwork (no public SIR-specific schedule or forms have yet been uploaded on ceopunjab.gov.in or elections.punjab.gov.in).

The exercise is routine in nature but assumes added significance in Punjab because it is the first major voter-list purification ahead of the 2027 polls.

The ruling AAP has adopted a proactive, defensive, and data-driven approach to the impending SIR. The party is not opposing the revision per se but has instructed its cadre to monitor it closely to prevent any arbitrary or selective deletions that could hurt its voter base (particularly urban poor, migrants, daily-wage workers, and beneficiaries of AAP welfare schemes).

Immediately after a major rally in Moga, AAP Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia (former Delhi Deputy CM) and state president Aman Arora chaired a closed-door meeting of all MLAs, ministers, and halqa (constituency) in-charges. The SIR issue dominated the 45-minute discussion.

MLAs and halqa in-charges have been asked to “keep a close watch” on the SIR process, especially in urban and semi-urban areas, to ensure no “arbitrary deletion of votes” that could benefit the opposition (BJP and SAD). They have been told to track Form-7 objections and assist genuine voters facing deletion notices.

The ECI’s directive today has put Punjab’s SIR firmly on the April 2026 track, giving the CEO office roughly 6–8 weeks for final preparations. AAP, sensing the political stakes, has moved swiftly (even before the formal directive) to turn a potential vulnerability into an organisational opportunity by building a real-time Voter ID-linked database through its flagship health scheme. The final outcome of SIR in Punjab will be known only after draft publication (expected May–June 2026) and the claims/objections period.