ECI extends claims window for Maharashtra SIR, final voter list now due on November 30

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has changed the schedule for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Maharashtra. The Commission announced on Friday that the period for filing claims and objections has been extended, and that the final publication of the voter list has been postponed to November 30, 2026.

The Commission conveyed the changes in an official letter sent to Maharashtra's Chief Electoral Officer on October 29. October 1, 2026 has been taken as the qualifying date for this SIR.

Under the revised schedule, the claims and objections period, which began on August 31, will now run until November 13, 2026. The notice phase and the disposal of claims and objections will continue until November 25, 2026. The final voter list was earlier to be published on a different date. It has now been decided that it will be published on November 30, 2026.

The schedule was changed following a request made by Maharashtra's Chief Electoral Officer in a letter dated October 29, 2026. The Commission said it decided to change the current timelines after considering that request.

The letter, issued by Under Secretary Sandeep Kumar, gives Maharashtra's Chief Electoral Officer some further instructions. It says the revised schedule should be published immediately in an extraordinary issue of the State Gazette. It also says the state should give the revised schedule wide publicity.

The latest change is expected to give additional time for the claims and objections process before the final voter list is published.

Earlier, on Monday, October 19, a delegation of the Mumbai Congress met Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer S. Chokkalingam. The delegation voiced concern that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is a complicated process and could lead to the names of eligible voters being left out.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad alleged irregularities in the process. She demanded strict action against those who deliberately delete voters' names to benefit the ruling party.

Gaikwad said the party has submitted evidence of the alleged irregularities to the Chief Electoral Officer. After meeting Chokkalingam, she also posted details of the meeting on X. According to her, Chokkalingam assured the delegation that strict action would be taken against those found responsible for deliberately deleting names.