Census 2027 Enumeration to Begin Early in Four Poll-Bound States

The Registrar General of India (RGI) has announced an early start to the Census 2027 population enumeration in four states that are scheduled to hold assembly elections early next year. The headcount in Goa, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and the non-snow-bound areas of Uttarakhand will be conducted from December 1, 2026, to January 4, 2027, according to an official gazette notification.

A revisional round to update the data is slated for January 5-9, 2027. Citizens in these regions will have the option to self-enumerate online between November 16 and November 30, 2026.

The notification also sets the reference date for the census in Ladakh and the snow-bound non-synchronous areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand as midnight of October 1, 2026. For these regions, the enumeration process is scheduled to run from September 1 to 30, with a self-enumeration window open from August 17 to 31.

For the rest of the country, the reference date remains midnight of March 1, 2027, as announced last year. The main population enumeration for these areas is expected to begin in February 2027, collecting data on demographic, socio-cultural, and economic parameters, as well as migration and fertility details.

In a separate notification, the RGI has deferred the house-listing operations for Census 2027 in Manipur. The terms of the legislative assemblies in Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand are all set to end by May 2027, making early elections likely.