ET has learnt that the final call is pending with chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar after the other two election commissioners – Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi – conveyed their reasoned view in favour of holding this annual exercise, called the special summary revision (SSR), as per the usual timelines.
ECs — Sandhu and Joshi — convey their reasoned view in favour of annual exercise; as per ECI’s own manual, convention dates to 1958
Sources indicated CEC had earlier sought legal opinion on the matter. However, following this, the two ECs are learnt to have made their stand clear on the need to resume SSR.
While SIR-related overlaps on roll revision led to an SSR pause in 2025, SSR is deemed necessary by ECI to include those turning 18 each year, an updation exercise strongly backed by election-related laws.
Of late, it has been helpful in updating photo electoral rolls, checking against dis-similarities and mismatches. This exercise has largely followed an uninterrupted schedule over the past two decades at least. The convention by itself dates to 1958, as per ECI’s own manual on electoral rolls.
However, no SSR has been carried out after the 2024 cycle amid the launch of special intensive revision (SIR) from Bihar in 2025.
This exercise allows those turning 18 to apply on four dates – January 1, April 1, July 1 and October 1.
Earlier, ECI used to take only January 1 as the cut-off, which meant that anyone born even a day later would have to wait a whole year to register as a voter. To remedy this, ECI now has four cut-off dates in a year, allowing more opportunity for young voters. For this reason, SSR is considered a time-sensitive exercise to include as many legitimate 18-year-old voters.
This exercise for 2026-27 is what is now in question. Usually, ECI announces annual summary revision by May-end to early June, with formal instructions sent out to chief electoral officers of all states.
This communication triggers ‘pre-revision activities’, carried out over 2-3 months followed by publication of the draft roll between late August and early October, to which claims and objections are invited by ECI in a 30-45-day period. The final roll, without fail, is officially published across states in January first week.
