NEW DELHI, India, Feb. 19 (ANI) — The Election Commission of India on Thursday directed Chief Electoral Officers of 22 states and Union Territories to complete preparatory work for the second phase of the upcoming Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, which is scheduled to begin in April 2026.
The directive was issued to Chief Electoral Officers in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Ladakh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, the National Capital Territory of Delhi, Odisha, Punjab, Sikkim, Tripura, Telangana, and Uttarakhand.
The commission said all preparatory activities related to the revision exercise must be completed at the earliest to ensure the smooth rollout of the process beginning in April.
Currently, a nationwide Special Intensive Revision is underway in 12 states and Union Territories: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.
Earlier, the Election Commission announced the schedule for the upcoming biennial elections to the Council of States, also known as the Rajya Sabha, to fill 37 seats across 10 states. The terms of 37 members from Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Telangana are set to conclude in April 2026.
According to the schedule, the official notification will be issued on Feb. 26, commencing the election process. The last date for filing nominations is March 5, followed by scrutiny on March 6. Candidates may withdraw their nominations until March 9.
Polling will take place on March 16, with counting scheduled for 5 p.m. the same day. The entire election process will be completed by March 20.
The commission also instructed that only integrated violet-colored sketch pens must be used for marking preferences on ballot papers. (ANI)
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