The Election Commission of India (ECI) is gearing up for a nationwide cleanup of voter rolls through a Special Intensive Review (SIR). State election officers have been instructed to be ready by September 30, indicating that the cleanup process could commence in October or November.

During a recent conference with state chief electoral officers (CEOs), the ECI emphasized the need for readiness within the next 10 to 15 days. The CEOs have been tasked with preparing the voter lists from their states that were published after the last SIR. Many states have already made these lists available on their official websites. For instance, the Delhi CEO's website features the voter list from 2008, the year of the last intensive revision in the capital. Similarly, Uttarakhand has published its 2006 electoral roll.

The last SIR date is crucial as it serves as a cut-off for current electors, similar to the 2003 voter list being used for Bihar's intensive revision. Most states conducted their last SIR between 2002 and 2004 and are close to finalizing the mapping of current voters against those from the last revision.

The ECI has stated that after completing the SIR in Bihar, it will extend the process nationwide. This cleanup is particularly significant as assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal are scheduled for 2026. The primary goal of the SIR is to identify and remove foreign illegal migrants by verifying their place of birth. This initiative comes amid ongoing efforts in various states to address the issue of illegal migration, particularly from Bangladesh and Myanmar.