The Election Commission of India has directed authorities in 20 states and Union Territories where the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has been completed to launch a special drive to enrol eligible voters who may have been left out of the electoral rolls.
The directive comes after more than 13 crore names were removed from draft electoral rolls across 30 states and Union Territories during the SIR exercise. The figure refers to deletions from the draft rolls and does not, by itself, indicate that all those voters were wrongly excluded.
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The Commission issued the instructions in writing on September 29 and reiterated them during a video conference with state Chief Electoral Officers on Thursday. The drive will cover voters whose names were left out during or after the SIR process, as well as eligible young and first-time voters.
Under the exercise, Booth Level Officers will compare the current electoral rolls with the rolls that existed before the SIR and identify voters whose names appeared earlier but are missing from the current lists. They will then undertake house-to-house verification to determine the status of these voters and assist eligible people in applying for inclusion.
Eligible voters can seek enrolment through the continuous updation process using Form 6. The Election Commission has also directed authorities to organise booth-level camps to make it easier for people to submit applications. Special camps may also be arranged for people living in night shelters, labour colonies and for homeless and other marginalised groups.
The exercise is not limited to people whose names were missing following SIR. Officials have also been asked to facilitate registration of first-time and young voters who are eligible to be added to the electoral rolls.
The Election Commission has instructed Booth Level Officers to prepare lists of voters who were previously enrolled but are now missing, record their current status and identify cases where Form 6 applications have been submitted. These details, along with field verification reports, will be forwarded to Electoral Registration Officers for further action under the applicable electoral laws.
The lists prepared by election officials will also be shared with representatives of recognised political parties, allowing them to assist in identifying eligible voters who may have been left out.
The special drive comes amid heightened scrutiny of the SIR exercise and the scale of deletions from draft electoral rolls. The Election Commission has maintained that the deletions include categories such as voters who were absent, had shifted, were deceased or were listed more than once, and that the final rolls can include subsequent additions and deletions.
For voters who want to check their status, the Election Commission’s voter services portal provides facilities to search electoral rolls and apply for registration.
