New Delhi, January 2, 2026

The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has revealed a significant disparity between rural and urban areas in the collection of enumeration forms, with urban centres recording “much less” participation compared to their rural counterparts. According to Election Commission (EC) officials, this trend has emerged across nine states and three Union Territories where Phase II of the SIR is currently underway, highlighting persistent challenges in voter enumeration in India’s rapidly urbanising landscape.

Based on preliminary trends and field-level reports, EC officials noted that the lower rate of enumeration form collection in cities is largely due to the unavailability of electors at home during visits by booth-level officers (BLOs). Work schedules, professional commitments, and long commuting hours in urban areas have made it difficult for officials to reach voters at their residences. In addition, constant migration—both within states and across state boundaries—has been identified as a major factor contributing to the lower response rate in urban localities.

In contrast, rural areas have shown a much higher level of engagement with the enumeration process. Booth-level officials in villages have been able to collect a substantially larger proportion of forms, aided by relatively stable populations, stronger community networks, and the greater likelihood of finding electors at home during the day. EC officials pointed out that this rural-urban divide in enumeration is not new and has been observed in previous voter list revision exercises as well.

Cities such as Lucknow, Kanpur, and Noida in Uttar Pradesh were among the prominent urban centres where enumeration form collection was reported to be “much less” compared to surrounding rural areas. Similar patterns were seen in other major cities across states participating in the current phase of the SIR. Officials cited Patna as an example, recalling that during the voters’ list clean-up exercise conducted in Bihar last year, urban areas lagged behind rural regions in terms of form collection and verification.

Phase II of the Special Intensive Revision began on November 4 and covers a wide geographical area, including the Union Territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry, as well as the states of Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. The exercise is one of the most extensive voter list revision efforts undertaken in recent years, reflecting the EC’s renewed focus on ensuring the accuracy and integrity of electoral rolls.

As of now, draft electoral rolls have been published in all participating states and Union Territories except Uttar Pradesh, where the process is still underway. Election officials indicated that the publication of draft rolls marks a critical milestone in the SIR, as it allows electors to check their details, file claims and objections, and seek corrections before the final rolls are notified.

In Assam, a separate and distinct ‘special revision’ of electoral rolls is currently in progress. This exercise is being conducted independently of the SIR taking place in other states and UTs, owing to Assam’s unique demographic and political context. The state has long been at the centre of debates around citizenship, migration, and voter eligibility, and the revision process there is being closely monitored by both the EC and other stakeholders.

Officials explained that the last Special Intensive Revision conducted in each state serves as an important reference point and cut-off date for the current exercise. This approach mirrors the methodology adopted in Bihar, where the 2003 voter list was used as the base document for an intensive revision aimed at cleaning up the rolls. In many states, the previous SIR was conducted between 2002 and 2004, and election authorities believe that they have now nearly completed the mapping of current electors against those earlier records.

The primary objective of the ongoing SIR is to ensure the purity of electoral rolls by identifying and removing ineligible entries, particularly those of foreign illegal migrants. A key component of the exercise involves verifying the place of birth of electors, a step that officials say is crucial for distinguishing genuine citizens from non-citizens who may have been erroneously or fraudulently included in the rolls over the years.

This focus on place-of-birth verification has assumed greater significance in the context of recent crackdowns on illegal migrants in several states. Authorities have intensified efforts to identify and deport undocumented migrants, including those believed to have entered India from neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh and Myanmar. Against this backdrop, the SIR is being viewed as an important administrative tool to align electoral data with broader internal security and citizenship verification measures.

However, the lower participation in urban areas poses a challenge to achieving the stated goals of the exercise. Election officials acknowledged that cities are inherently more complex to manage from an enumeration standpoint due to higher population density, frequent changes in residence, the prevalence of rented accommodation, and the growing number of single-person or nuclear households. These factors make it harder for BLOs to establish contact with electors and ensure timely collection of forms.

To address these issues, the EC has been exploring additional strategies, including increased use of digital platforms, extended hours for form submission, and greater public awareness campaigns in urban areas. Officials stressed that voter cooperation is essential for the success of the SIR and urged electors, particularly in cities, to proactively engage with the process by submitting their forms and verifying their details.

Despite the challenges, the Election Commission remains confident that the ongoing Special Intensive Revision will lead to more accurate and reliable electoral rolls across the country. Officials emphasised that such exercises are a routine but critical part of India’s democratic framework, helping to ensure that elections are conducted on the basis of clean and credible voter lists.

As the SIR progresses towards its next stages, including the resolution of claims and objections and the publication of final rolls, the EC is expected to continue monitoring regional trends closely. The stark contrast between rural and urban participation highlighted by the current data is likely to inform future policy decisions and operational strategies aimed at strengthening voter enumeration in an increasingly urban India.

Ultimately, election authorities believe that addressing the structural challenges of urban voter registration and enumeration will be key to safeguarding the integrity of the electoral process in the years to come, especially as migration, mobility, and demographic shifts continue to reshape the country’s social and political landscape.