ECI extends deadline for Bengal SIR hearings to Feb. 14; final rolls to be published on Feb. 28

The Election Commission of India on Tuesday (February 10, 2026) extended the deadline for Special Intensive Revision (SIR) hearings in West Bengal to February 14, 2026. The date for publication of the final voter lists has been moved to February 28. This came after the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal sent a formal request to the ECI for an extension on February 7, citing pending work.

The Supreme Court on Monday (February 9) asked the ECI to extend the SIR deadlines by at least one-week.

“Since the process of scrutinising documents submitted by affected people in response to notices served on them is likely to take longer than anticipated, and as suggested on behalf of some of the petitioners, we direct that at least one week beyond 14.02.2026 be granted to the EROs/AEROs to complete the scrutiny of the documents and take an appropriate decision,” the Supreme Court order said on Monday (February 9, 2026). 

The Supreme Court order by a division bench, comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and N. V. Anjaria, and requests from the CEO and the WB office led to the ECI extending the deadline.

Revised dates

“Further, in compliance with the Supreme Court’s direction, the Commission has revised the SIR schedule in the State of West Bengal,” an official notification from the ECI addressed to the CEO, WB stated on Tuesday (February 10, 2026).

The revised dates are February 14 for completing of SIR hearings, February 21 for scrutiny of documents and disposal, with final electoral rolls to be published on February 28. Previously, the SIR hearings were to be completed by February 7, and the final electoral list was to be published by February 14.

The West Bengal SIR exercise is in its final phase, with only about 3-5% hearings remaining, according to the West Bengal CEO. However, around 25% of document uploading and digitisation remains pending, which led officials to seek more time from the CEO, Manoj Kumar Agarwal.

Over 94.49 lakh people were summoned for hearings under the logical discrepancies category, and over 31.68 lakh voters who were classified as “unmapped” were also asked to appear for hearings.

Those who fail to appear for their hearings within the extended timeline may be struck from the final 2026 voter lists.