Mizoram gears up for Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in April 2026

Aizawl, Feb 23: Mizoram’s election machinery has entered the final phase of preparation for the launch of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with the Election Commission of India (ECI) set to initiate the exercise in April across 22 states and Union Territories, including Mizoram.

Officials at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Mizoram, said on Sunday that groundwork for the revision has been “more or less completed”, signalling the State’s readiness to undertake one of the most comprehensive updates of voter rolls in recent years.

The forthcoming revision is highly significant for the State where the last SIR was conducted in 2004. At that time, Mizoram had only 795 polling stations.

Two decades later, the number has risen sharply to 1,353 polling stations spread across 40 Assembly constituencies, reflecting demographic growth, administrative expansion, and efforts to improve voter accessibility.

Officials pointed out that the increase in polling stations has necessitated extensive rationalisation measures. The State undertook a detailed review to ensure that no polling station accommodates more than 1,200 voters, in line with the norms laid down by the ECI.

The rationalisation proposal submitted by the State has been approved by the Commission, and the updated details have been incorporated into the staging database of ERONET, the nationwide electoral roll management system.

The ERONET platform plays a central role in maintaining, updating and standardising electoral data across the country, and the integration of Mizoram’s revised polling station framework into the system is considered a key milestone ahead of the SIR rollout.

In compliance with the ECI’s directives, capacity-building measures have already been undertaken. Training programmes have been conducted for District Election Officers (DEOs), Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) and Block Level Officers (BLOs), who form the backbone of the revision exercise at the field level.

Officials further stated that all previously vacant posts of DEOs, EROs, AEROs and BLOs have been trained to ensure a smooth and coordinated implementation of the revision process.

Strengthening manpower at every administrative tier is viewed as critical to maintaining accuracy, transparency and efficiency during the intensive verification and updating drive.

As part of stakeholder engagement, a workshop for political parties has been scheduled for February 27. The meeting is expected to brief party representatives on the modalities of the revision, timelines, and mechanisms for claims and objections, thereby ensuring participatory oversight and minimising disputes.

The SIR is a periodic exercise aimed at updating electoral rolls by removing ineligible entries, incorporating newly eligible voters, and correcting discrepancies.

With preparations nearing completion, Mizoram’s election authorities are positioning themselves to carry out the exercise in a structured and time-bound manner once the ECI formally triggers the process in April.