Election Commission Appoints 22 More Roll Observers In SIR States
The states where the Special Roll Observers have been assigned include West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh.
Published : January 20, 2026 at 11:50 PM IST
New Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has appointed 22 more Roll Observers in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in different states and Union Territories (UTs).
At present, the second phase of the SIR is being conducted by the poll panel in nine states and three UTs. These include Andaman and Nicobar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Lakshadweep. These also include election-bound states like Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Kerala, and Puducherry.
Out of the 22 Roll Observers, 11 have been deputed in West Bengal. With the deployment of the new Roll Observers, the total number of such officials rose to 20 in the state.
"ECI deputes 22 more Roll Observers across SIR states. Eleven of these newly deputed Observers are in the state of West Bengal, taking the total number of Roll Observers in the state to 20," the poll panel said on Tuesday.
Notably, the ECI in December last year appointed Special Roll Observers to monitor the ongoing SIR, aimed at purification of electoral rolls.
The poll panel stated that this step was to guarantee the inclusion of all eligible voters in the electoral rolls. The states where the Special Roll Observers have been assigned include West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh.
The ECI said they will observe the process of SIR so that no eligible elector is left out and no ineligible person is included in the electoral rolls. The Special Roll Observers will conduct meetings with the state level and district level leadership of all the National and State political parties, it said.
The poll panel said they will also attend meetings with the CEOs and DEOs of the States either physically or virtually to ensure that the entire process is completed in a smooth, transparent and participatory manner.
Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar while announcing the schedule of the second phase of SIR had said that "the primary objective of this exercise is to include each eligible voter to the electoral roll and remove those ineligible".
"For any voter, the eligibility is written in Article 326 of the Constitution of India. This means one should be a citizen of India, at least 18 years of age, ordinarily resident of the constituency, and not disqualified under any law," Kumar said then.
