India, Jan. 1 -- The final electoral rolls for 12 states and Union Territories are scheduled to be published on February 14, following the contentious Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists. Roughly 510 million people - about half of India's nearly-one-billion-strong electorate - were covered in Phase 2 of the exercise, which has become a major political flashpoint. While the Election Commission and ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) have defended SIR as necessary to ensure the sanctity of elections, the Opposition has criticised it as an attempt to disenfranchise marginalised communities. Four of the 12 states and UTs covered in this phase, incidentally, will go to the polls in 2026.
Published by HT Digital Content Service...