Maharashtra's Census 2026 self-enumeration phase is set to commence on 1 May 2026, marking the launch of India's first fully digital population count exercise, officials announced at a press conference in Mumbai on 30 April 2026. Nirupama Dange, Chief Principal Census Officer and Director of Census Operations for Maharashtra, described the initiative as a pivotal step in the country's shift toward digital governance.

How the Self-Enumeration Process Works

Citizens opting to self-enumerate must use only the official government portal https://se.census.gov.in. Officials have cautioned residents to disregard any SMS that does not contain the keyword RGICEN, warning against fraudulent communications. Once an individual completes the online submission, an 11-digit unique identification number beginning with the letter 'H' will be generated, which must be preserved and shared with enumerators during subsequent door-to-door visits for verification.

Key Dates and Timeline

The self-enumeration window runs from 1 May to 15 May 2026. This will be followed by the house listing and housing Census from 16 May to 14 June 2026, during which trained field enumerators will conduct door-to-door visits — preferably during morning or evening hours — covering approximately eight to ten households per day. The follow-up phase involving ward-wise population counting is scheduled for 2027 as part of the broader Census process.

Scale of Deployment and Administrative Groundwork

A workforce of approximately 2.64 lakh field personnel, comprising enumerators and supervisors along with a 10 per cent reserve staff, will be deployed after structured training. A dedicated Census Monitoring and Management System portal will oversee large-scale supervision, coordination, and data handling throughout the exercise.

To facilitate the Census, the state froze jurisdictional boundaries of districts, talukas, cities, and villages from 1 January 2026 to 31 March 2027, formalised through a gazette notification issued on 15 July 2025. A subsequent notification on 26 February 2026 operationalised the Census activities on the ground.

Coverage and Legal Standing of Entries

Enumeration will be carried out across both slum and non-slum areas using pre-defined maps. Migratory populations will be counted at their place of work under the de facto method, in line with established Census norms. Notably, officials clarified that Census entries are recorded at the household level and do not constitute legal documents or proof of identity — a distinction relevant for residents who may conflate the exercise with Aadhaar or voter registration processes.

With mobile applications and a real-time data collection portal deployed for the first time, the 2026 Census represents a significant administrative leap from the paper-based exercise last conducted in 2011. The success of Maharashtra's rollout is being closely watched as a template for the national exercise.