Guwahati: Assam chief electoral officer (CEO) Anurag Goel said that Assam home department has informed the Election Commission that process is on for creation of data security regime for National Register of Citizens (NRC) and is likely to be completed by August 2026. Once the same is completed Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral roll can take place in Assam.
Goel while talking to media persons on Tuesday said, "Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls has been introduced in place of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), keeping in view the ongoing NRC-related procedures and Assam's special citizenship provisions."
The Election Commission, on Monday announced Special Revision of electoral rolls in Assam. Assam is likely to go to the assembly polls early next year. As per the Election Commissioner order the poll authority to the Chief Electoral Officer of Assam, January 1, 2026, has been set as the qualifying date for the state to conduct the exercise.
Geol said, "The NRC data will be published later. The Special Revision is to make sure every eligible citizen is included. Assam's Home department has informed Election Commission in a letter that process is on creation of Aadhaar like data security regime and it will take 7 to 8 months for creation of the same. It should be completed by August 2026."
He added SIR was deferred for Assam as the NRC data can be used once it is completed and required documentation for SIR can come from NRC data. Even political parties during the meeting have suggested to do SIR only after the finalisation of NRC data.
The Supreme Court has disallowed sharing of NRC data unless an Aadhaar like regime is set up. The updation process of the NRC in Assam is caught in a logjam years after the publication of the supplementary list on August 31, 2019. Rejection slips are yet to be issued to those excluded - who can move the Foreigners Tribunal (FT) to challenge the decision - and RGI has not yet notified the NRC.
The supplementary NRC list had found more than 31.1 million people eligible to be included in the registry and left out over 1.9 million people. The Supreme Court which is monitoring the NRC updation had earlier rejected Assam and Centre government's plea for conducting 20 per cent sample re-verification of the draft NRC published on July 30, 2018, in districts bordering Bangladesh.
There are several petitions pending the Supreme Court seeking review and reverification. One such petition is admitted by the Supreme court is of former NRC co-ordinator Hitesh Dev Sarma.
Goel emphasised that "ordinary resident" does not imply the need for a permanent residence certificate (PRC). Even individuals from other states who have been staying in Assam for a short period, whether a month or six months, and intend to continue residing in the state may register their names in the electoral roll.
The CEO said that a key component of the SR will be physical house-to-house verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs). "Unlike the SIR, the process will not involve enumeration forms or document verification. BLOs will carry pre-filled registers containing household members' details and verify each entry through physical visits.. BLOs will attempt contact three times before marking a household unreachable. In urban areas at least one visit must be carried out on a Sunday. If a voter has died, families can fill Form 7 for deletion. Form 8 will be used for address changes or corrections, and Form 6 for individuals who have newly turned 18 or missed registering earlier.".
The Election Department will also rationalise polling stations, reducing the maximum number of electors per booth from 1,500 to 1,200 as per the Election Commission's latest guidelines. "This is expected to lead to the addition of 1,826 new polling stations across Assam. Presently there are 29656 polling stations and 61553 BLA (Booth level Agents).
"By February-end, election dates may be announced. After February 10, there will be very little time left for corrections," he said.