Maharashtra Minister Bawankule says EC's second phase of voter roll revision is a "good step"

He said a "correct" voter list cannot be prepared without such an exercise.

"...The list of my area has 5 lakh 40 thousand votes. If someone goes somewhere else, they are added to that area as well, but there is no deletion. They go somewhere else, but their name is not deleted from that area... Without conducting a survey, the correct things will not come out... The Election Commission has taken a good step," Bhawankule told reporters.

The opposition, however, has criticised the move, with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan calling it "a direct challenge to the democratic process."

BJP MP Dinesh Sharma supported the announcement, calling it a major step towards transparent and fair elections. "There are people who died 10 years ago, but other people in their place are casting a vote. There are infiltrators who are casting votes in India... It is a threat to those who capture the vote," Sharma told ANI on Tuesday.

The first phase of the SIR was conducted in Bihar in September.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar said that the poll body will conduct the second phase of the SIR in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

According to the Election Commission, printing and training will take place from October 28 to November 3, followed by an enumeration phase from November 4 to December 4. The draft electoral rolls will be published on December 9, followed by a claims and objections period from December 9 to January 8, 2026. The notice phase (for hearing and verification) will take place between December 9 and January 31, 2026, with publication of final electoral rolls scheduled for February 7, 2026. (ANI)