RANCHI, Oct. 26 -- The Election Commission of India's upcoming nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is likely to further delay Jharkhand's long-pending urban local body elections, expected by year-end, as the state machinery will remain occupied with preparations for the exercise, people familiar with the matter said on Saturday. Elections across 14 of the 48 urban local bodies (ULBs) in the state have been due since 2020, while polls are due in the other 34 ULBs since April 2023. The state government is also facing contempt proceedings in the high court after failing to conduct municipal polls by May 2024, as committed to before the court. In a step towards holding the much-awaited ULB elections in Jharkhand, the State Other Backwards Classes (OBC) Commission submitted the triple test report to the state government earlier this month to determine its reservation in elected bodies. The exercise follows the Supreme Court's directive that the OBC quota can be fixed only after assessing the community's demography and socio-economic status-an exercise known as the "triple test" to ascertain ground realities. The apex court further ruled that states may either conduct elections without OBC reservation or grant it only after completing the triple test process. Subsequently, the state cabinet approved and sent its recommendations to the State Election Commission, which now has to finalise the quota and announce the date for the polls. Insiders in the government said the state is pushing to hold the polls by the year-end. However, people aware of the developments said the wait for people to elect their local government could extend by at least a few months. "The ECI held a two-day review meeting this week about the preparedness for SIR with the chief electoral officers of all states. In all likelihood, they would announce the pan-India SIR next month. If that happens, the municipal elections are set to get delayed further," an official aware of the development said. Officials in the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) K Ravi Kumar in Ranchi said they are fully prepared to start the exercise as and when the ECI gives its nod. Kumar also held a review with the deputy commissioners of all districts about the revision of the voter list on Friday. On the impact it would have on the municipal elections, an official said that once the SIR begins, all election-related work will be frozen in the state. "If SIR begins, it would take at least three months to complete the exercise. It will become difficult for the State Election Commission to conduct the polls even if they decide to hold them based on the last updated electoral roll. It would have practical problems because, due to constitutional provisions, the entire state machinery would get involved in conducting the SIR," the official said....