India begins phase 3 SIR; L&T wins deal

India’s Election Commission said on May 14 it will begin phase three of its Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls on May 30 across 16 states and three union territories. The poll body said the exercise will extend voter-list verification to most of the country, with Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh left for a later schedule. On the same day, Larsen & Toubro said it had entered a strategic collaboration with France-based Exail to supply an unmanned mine counter-measure suite for the Indian Navy’s planned mine counter measure vessels program. L&T shares rose more than 1% in afternoon trade after the announcement. ### Which states and territories are covered in the election roll exercise? The Election Commission said phase three will cover 16 states and three union territories in stages beginning May 30. Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim and Manipur are first, followed by Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu on June 4, Uttarakhand on June 8, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Haryana and Chandigarh on June 15, Telangana and Punjab on June 25, Karnataka, Meghalaya, Maharashtra, Jharkhand and Delhi on June 30, Nagaland on August 16, and Tripura on September 15. New Delhi-based officials said the schedule was set with the ongoing Census house-listing exercise in mind because both use common field machinery. The Election Commission said the schedule for Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh would be announced later after phase two of the Census is completed there and after accounting for weather in higher and snow-bound areas. (indianexpress.com) ### How large is the voter verification drive? The Election Commission said 3.94 lakh Booth Level Officers will go house to house to cover 36.73 crore electors during phase three. The poll body also said 3.42 lakh Booth Level Agents appointed by political parties would assist during the enumeration phase, and it asked parties to appoint agents for each polling booth. (indianexpress.com) The Commission said final electoral rolls for the phase will be published between September 6 and December 23. The current phase follows an order issued on June 24, 2025, to begin the Special Intensive Revision with Bihar ahead of that state’s assembly election, and a later expansion announced on October 27, 2025, for nine states and three union territories. (indianexpress.com) ### What exactly did Larsen & Toubro announce with Exail? Larsen & Toubro said on May 14 that it had partnered with Exail of France to deliver an advanced unmanned mine counter-measure suite for the Indian Navy’s Mine Counter Measure Vessels program. The system is designed to detect, classify, identify and neutralize naval mines using autonomous and remotely operated systems from a stand-off distance, according to company information reported by multiple outlets. (indianexpress.com) The Indian Navy program referenced in the announcement involves 12 planned mine counter measure vessels. L&T will act as prime contractor and offer the unmanned suite to shipyards participating in that program, while Exail will serve as technology partner. ### Why did the market react to the L&T announcement? (business-standard.com) NDTV Profit reported that L&T shares gained more than 1% in afternoon trade on May 14 after the company disclosed the Exail collaboration. CNBC-TV18 data showed Larsen & Toubro stock closed at 3,940.40 rupees, up 0.63% on the day, after trading as high as 3,988.00 rupees. (manufacturing.economictimes.indiatimes.com) Business Standard reported the collaboration as part of L&T’s defense business, with the company positioned as the prime contractor for the unmanned suite. The announcement added a naval systems project to a group that already operates across engineering, manufacturing and defense. ### What happens next in both tracks? (ndtvprofit.com) May 30 is the next operational date for the Election Commission, when house-to-house visits begin in Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim and Manipur under phase three. September 6 to December 23 is the publication window the Commission gave for final electoral rolls in the covered states and union territories. (business-standard.com) For L&T, the next named step is participation in the Indian Navy’s upcoming 12-vessel mine counter measure program, where the company said it will offer the unmanned suite to competing shipyards with Exail as technology partner. (manufacturing.economictimes.indiatimes.com) (indianexpress.com)