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Election Commission launches a special drive to identify eligible voters left out after the SIR electoral roll revision. (Img: X)
New Delhi: The Election Commission has ordered a special voter enrolment drive in states and Union Territories where the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls has been completed. The exercise will focus on eligible voters missing from the updated rolls, as well as young and first-time voters who have not yet registered.
The move comes amid intense scrutiny over voter deletions during SIR and concerns raised by opposition parties about eligible citizens being left out. The Election Commission has maintained that voter registration is a continuous process and that every eligible citizen must have an opportunity to seek inclusion in the electoral roll.
The Election Commission has directed Chief Electoral Officers, District Election Officers and Electoral Registration Officers to begin the special exercise following its meeting with Chief Electoral Officers on October 1.
Under the plan, election officials will compare electoral rolls prepared before and after the SIR to identify voters whose names appeared in earlier rolls but are missing from the latest lists.
Booth Level Officers will then conduct house-to-house verification to establish the current status of these electors. Where a person is found eligible, the BLO will assist in submitting Form 6 for inclusion in the electoral roll.
The Commission has asked each BLO to cover around 20 to 25 identified electors every week, with the verification exercise expected to be completed within about one month.
The officials will also identify eligible young and first-time voters during their field visits and help them complete the enrolment process.
Form 6 is the statutory application used by eligible citizens seeking inclusion in the electoral roll as general electors. The Election Commission has clarified that voters in areas where SIR has been completed can use the regular continuous-updation process to seek enrolment. The additional declaration associated with the SIR phase is not required for this post-SIR process.
This gives eligible citizens whose names may have been missed during the revision another formal route to apply for inclusion. The applications will be examined by Electoral Registration Officers along with field verification reports before further action is taken under the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
Booth Level Officers will play a central role in the new exercise. They have been asked to compare pre-SIR and current electoral rolls, identify missing names and physically verify the status of voters.
The exercise will help distinguish genuine omissions from cases involving voters who may have died, shifted residence, appeared more than once in the electoral database or otherwise require verification.
BLOs will maintain booth-wise records of identified electors and indicate whether Form 6 has been submitted for eligible applicants. The field-level approach is intended to make the post-SIR correction process more accessible to voters who may otherwise struggle to navigate the enrolment system.
The Election Commission has also directed officials to share booth-wise lists with Booth Level Agents of recognised political parties and the concerned Electoral Registration Officers. The arrangement will allow political parties to examine the relevant information and assist eligible voters who may have been left out.
Once the special exercise is completed, updated booth-wise lists will again be shared with recognised political parties. The involvement of political parties also adds a layer of visibility to the enrolment process at the polling-booth level.
The Election Commission has instructed state and district authorities to organise Booth Level Camps to help citizens submit enrolment applications. Special outreach will be undertaken for people living in night shelters, labour colonies and other locations where access to voter-registration facilities may be difficult. Homeless people and other marginalised groups will also be covered.
Election officials have been asked to use educational institutions, local outreach programmes and SVEEP activities to spread awareness about voter registration. SVEEP, or Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation, is the Election Commission’s voter-awareness programme aimed at improving electoral literacy and participation.
During the SIR exercise, election authorities prepared lists categorising certain entries as Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate, commonly known as ASDD. These lists have been displayed at local government offices, shared with representatives of political parties and uploaded on the websites of respective Chief Electoral Officers.
The latest field verification exercise will help authorities determine the current status of voters whose names require further examination. The process is therefore not limited to adding names. It also involves voter database verification, correction of electoral records, field authentication and identification of genuine eligible electors.
The special enrolment drive comes amid a wider political debate over the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls. Opposition parties have alleged that the SIR process could lead to eligible citizens being disenfranchised and have questioned the scale and methodology of deletions.
The Election Commission has rejected allegations of partisan functioning and has maintained that decisions relating to the SIR were taken unanimously. Election data and statements from state authorities have shown substantial changes in electoral rolls following the revision process. Large numbers of names have been removed from draft rolls across various states and Union Territories.
However, deletion from a draft electoral roll does not automatically mean that every removed person was an eligible voter who was wrongly excluded. Election authorities have cited categories such as deceased voters, duplicate entries, shifted voters and cases requiring further verification.
The latest special drive is intended to provide an opportunity for eligible citizens who may have been left out to seek inclusion through the established electoral registration mechanism.
Goa has emerged as an important example of the challenges involved in restoring eligible voters after electoral roll revision. According to the Goa Chief Electoral Officer, 97 cases involving voters left out of the final electoral roll came under scrutiny. Of these, 88 voters have filed Form 6 applications and their applications have been accepted.
The Goa CEO's office also said three cases involved Portuguese passport holders, while six people were residing outside India and officials were attempting to establish contact with them. The cases attracted attention after reports highlighted difficulties in updating electoral records even after some voters were found eligible for inclusion.
Goa election authorities subsequently undertook field-level action, including visits by Booth Level Officers to voters' homes. The developments have highlighted the importance of distinguishing between genuine omissions, changes in voter status and cases requiring additional verification.
The new exercise applies to jurisdictions where the Special Intensive Revision has already been completed. The Election Commission has instructed authorities in these areas to facilitate continuous voter enrolment and identify eligible citizens who may have been missed during the revision.
The Commission's approach makes clear that publication of a revised electoral roll does not bring the voter-registration process to an end. Eligible citizens whose names are missing can still approach the concerned Electoral Registration Officer and seek inclusion through the prescribed process.
The special drive is not limited to people affected by SIR. Young people becoming eligible to vote for the first time will also be identified during the exercise. BLOs have been asked to facilitate their enrolment and help with Form 6 applications wherever required.
This is significant because India's electoral rolls are continuously updated as citizens reach voting age, shift residences or undergo changes in their voter status. The post-SIR exercise therefore combines corrective enrolment for existing voters with registration of a new generation of electors.
Citizens who believe their names are missing from the electoral roll should check their current voter-registration status for their constituency. Eligible persons can apply for inclusion through Form 6 under the continuous-updation process.
BLOs and election officials have also been instructed to assist eligible applicants during the special field drive. Citizens covered by the exercise may encounter different verification requirements depending on their circumstances. Voters who have shifted residence, appear in multiple records or have other discrepancies may require additional verification before their status is finalised.
The coming weeks will focus on house-to-house verification, identification of missing voters, Form 6 applications and scrutiny by Electoral Registration Officers. With BLOs expected to cover around 20 to 25 identified electors every week, the Election Commission has set an approximate one-month timeframe for the exercise.
The effectiveness of the drive will depend on the ability of election officials to identify genuine omissions, contact voters, assist applicants and process enrolment requests within the prescribed legal framework. For eligible citizens, the key takeaway is that an omission from the revised electoral roll does not necessarily end their opportunity to seek inclusion.
The Election Commission's latest move puts the focus on continuous electoral-roll updation, field-level verification and voter assistance after SIR, while bringing young and first-time voters into the enrolment process.
