Observers said the update is a routine one as the law requires that registers be revised within three years of the last general election. As the last election was held on May 6, 2006, the registers must therefore be revised by May 5 this year.

In revising the roll, the Registration Officer will enter the names of those who are qualified to vote in the appropriate registers. This would include Singapore citizens who turned 21 since the last election.

After the roll is revised, the registers will be open for public inspection.

There has been talk in recent weeks of the possibility of snap elections this year, and news of the revision may fan speculation. Between the 2001 and 2006 elections, the roll was updated twice - first in 2004 and then in January of 2006, less than six months before the May polls.

MPs, though, are not rushing to draw any conclusions from the latest round.

Said Joo Chiat MP Chan Soo Sen: 'It's a routine thing. There is no need to read too much into it. The more interesting one will be when they review electoral boundaries.'

The Elections Department website said more details on the revision can be expected in about two weeks' time.