Maharashtra Congress urges ECI to defer SIR voter exercise by a month
Synopsis
Maharashtra Congress has formally asked the Chief Electoral Officer to delay the SIR voter verification drive — covering 9.86 crore electors — because it overlaps with the Pandharpur Ashadhi Wari, when millions of Warkaris from 20-plus districts are away from home. The party warns that door-to-door enumeration during their absence, compounded by July monsoon disruptions, could lead to mass wrongful deletions from voter rolls.
Key Takeaways
Maharashtra Congress President Harshwardhan Sapkal wrote to Chief Electoral Officer S.
Chockalingam on 27 May 2026 seeking a one-month postponement of the SIR's second phase.
The second phase is currently scheduled from 30 June to 29 July 2026 , coinciding with the Pandharpur Ashadhi Wari pilgrimage.
Warkari devotees from more than 20 districts across western Maharashtra, Marathwada, and Vidarbha travel to Pandharpur on foot during this period, leaving their homes unattended.
The SIR exercise covers approximately 9.86 crore electors and involves 1,00,253 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) ; 1,13,558 BLAs have already been appointed by political parties.
Final electoral rolls are scheduled for publication on 7 October 2026 , with the draft rolls due on 5 August .
Heavy rainfall forecast for July in Mumbai Metropolitan Region , Konkan , Pune , and Satara was cited as an additional disruption risk.
Maharashtra Congress on Wednesday, 27 May 2026 formally urged the state's Chief Electoral Officer, S. Chockalingam, to postpone the second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise — scheduled between 30 June and 29 July — by at least one month, citing the Pandharpur Ashadhi Wari pilgrimage and forecast heavy rainfall as major obstacles to fair voter enumeration.
What the Congress Letter Said
Maharashtra Congress President Harshwardhan Sapkal wrote to Chockalingam warning that millions of Warkari devotees from more than 20 districts across western Maharashtra, Marathwada, and Vidarbha would be away from their homes during the Ashadhi Wari, travelling on foot to Pandharpur in various dindis (processions). Sapkal argued that conducting door-to-door enumeration during their absence creates a serious risk of wrongful deletions from voter rolls.
In his letter, Sapkal noted that the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the SIR programme on 14 May 2026, and that mapping work in Maharashtra had reached approximately 72 per cent as of the letter's date, with the first phase continuing until 19 June 2026. The second phase, he stated, is understood to be scheduled from 30 June to 29 July 2026, during which Booth Level Officers (BLOs) would conduct door-to-door distribution and collection of enumeration forms.
The Rainfall Concern
Sapkal also cited forecasts from the Meteorological Department projecting heavy rainfall in July across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Konkan, Pune, and Satara. The party argued that combining a mass pilgrimage absence with monsoon disruptions in the same window substantially raises the risk of eligible voters being left off the final rolls.
The Scale of the SIR Exercise
Chockalingam had earlier outlined the full scope of the campaign: a physical, door-to-door verification of approximately 9.86 crore electors across Maharashtra, to be carried out by 1,00,253 BLOs between June and October. The Chief Electoral Officer stated that political parties had been requested to appoint Booth Level Agents (BLAs) to assist and monitor the process, with 1,13,558 BLAs already appointed statewide.
Chockalingam noted that BLAs hold the legal right to scrutinise draft deletion lists, raise objections, and challenge wrongful removals before the final roll is published. He added that the ECI had designed a separate, dedicated schedule for Maharashtra given that ongoing census-related activities were already engaging local field machinery.
Key Dates in the Revision Schedule
According to the published timeline, draft electoral rolls will be released on 5 August; claims and objections can be filed between 5 August and 4 September; disposal of those claims will continue until 3 October; and the final electoral rolls are set to be published on 7 October 2026. The entire exercise is designed to conclude before the festival season in October.
With the Congress formally on record demanding a deferral, the ECI's response to Sapkal's letter is now being closely watched by political parties and civil society groups tracking Maharashtra's voter roll accuracy ahead of future elections.
Point of View
Not a partisan grievance. The ECI's otherwise robust transparency framework, including BLA scrutiny rights and published deletion lists, is undermined if a significant demographic is simply absent when enumerators knock. What is missing from the public discourse is a quantitative estimate of how many electors could be at risk: if even a fraction of Warkaris from 20-plus districts are marked 'not found,' the downstream deletions could be consequential. The ECI's response to Sapkal's letter will signal whether the Commission treats this as a process-integrity concern or a political demand.
NationPress
13 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in Maharashtra?
The SIR is a physical, door-to-door verification of voter rolls covering approximately 9.86 crore electors across Maharashtra, being conducted by 1,00,253 Booth Level Officers between June and October 2026. The exercise is aimed at purifying the electoral database before the final rolls are published on 7 October 2026.
Why is the Maharashtra Congress demanding a postponement of the SIR?
The Congress argues that the second phase of the SIR, scheduled from 30 June to 29 July 2026, coincides with the Pandharpur Ashadhi Wari pilgrimage, during which millions of Warkari devotees from over 20 districts are away from their homes. The party warns this could lead to wrongful deletion of their names from voter rolls.
What is the Pandharpur Ashadhi Wari and why does it matter here?
The Ashadhi Wari is an annual pilgrimage in which Warkari devotees from across Maharashtra walk in processions to the temple town of Pandharpur. Because participants from more than 20 districts are absent from their homes during this period, door-to-door enumeration in that window risks missing them entirely.
What are the key dates in the Maharashtra SIR schedule?
Mapping work continues until 19 June 2026; the second field phase runs from 30 June to 29 July; draft electoral rolls will be published on 5 August; claims and objections can be filed until 4 September; and the final rolls are due on 7 October 2026.
How can voters or parties challenge wrongful deletions in the SIR process?
Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by political parties have the legal right to scrutinise draft deletion lists, raise objections, and challenge wrongful removals before the final roll is published. As of 27 May 2026, 1,13,558 BLAs had already been appointed across Maharashtra.
