Overview

• Maharashtra’s State Election Commission, in a September 9 letter, asked the Election Commission of India to defer the Special Intensive Revision until the end of January 2026, citing a Supreme Court-directed rush to complete extensive local body elections.
• The SEC said deputy collectors and tahsildars who would run the revision are tied up with polls across municipal corporations, councils, nagar panchayats, zilla parishads and panchayat samitis, with ward delimitation and roll bifurcation still in progress.
• In West Bengal, the commission decided not to launch the revision in October because of a string of state holidays, with officials indicating a likely start after the festive month.
• Deputy Election Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti voiced concern over delays during a state review and the EC reiterated that appointments of EROs and AEROs must meet strict criteria, warning that procedural deviations will not be tolerated.
• Political reactions continued as West Bengal’s chief minister questioned the EC’s haste and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari flagged 226 alleged appointment violations, while the contentious June 2025 Bihar revision that required documentary proof remains a cautionary precedent.