The Election Commission of India (ECI) is in a tricky spot over Assam's 2026 assembly elections. Normally, before big elections, ECI runs a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to clean up the voters’ list. But this time, because Assam is tangled up in the citizenship drama of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), ECI is likely to drop the SIR plan. Instead, the ECI may use a Special Summary Revision (SSR) method — a lighter version done before elections. However, for Assam, this SSR will come with extra tough checking methods. The SSR has been done before with house-to-house checks, making sure people on the voters’ list are verified closely. ECI’s big decision is not made alone. It depends heavily on local advice — from the Assam Chief Electoral Officer and the state government. Both have said no to the full SIR because of the complicated citizenship issues in Assam. The state CEO shared a legal opinion saying that doing SIR without including NRC details would create unwanted problems in a place where citizenship is a hot topic. Himanta Sarma’s BJP government in Assam reportedly told ECI to delay the SIR until after the final NRC list is ready, expected by mid-2026. When the NRC is ready, then SIR can happen with document checks, since NRC is one of the 13 main citizenship documents used for voter verification. The NRC is the biggest roadblock here. Beyond legal questions, this move to delay SIR will surely spark political debates and raise temperatures in Assam’s political arena. Earlier, on October 27, ECI announced the second phase of SIR for 12 states and union territories. All these places are gearing up for elections in 2026. But Assam was notably left out because of its unique and sensitive citizenship verification. Remember, Assam must hold assembly elections by May 20, 2026. To meet this deadline, the SIR should have started by the end of this month. But with all these challenges and opinions, the election watchdog may have to switch gears to keep things smooth and fair for voters in Assam.