ECI Orders Special Drive to Re-Enrol Left-Out Voters After SIR

The exercise will focus on voters whose names appeared in the electoral rolls before the SIR but are missing from the current rolls, along with eligible first-time and young voters who have not yet registered.

The directive followed the Commission's September 29 communication and a meeting with Chief Electoral Officers of the states and UTs on October 1.

Under the instructions, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will compare the current electoral rolls with the pre-SIR rolls and prepare lists of voters who were previously registered but no longer appear on the latest rolls.

The BLOs will then conduct house-to-house visits to verify the present status of those voters. Where an individual is found to be eligible, officials will assist them in submitting Form 6 for enrolment. BLOs have been asked to cover around 20 to 25 such electors each week, with the exercise expected to be completed in approximately one month.

The Commission has also asked BLOs to identify eligible voters who may have been missed during the SIR, as well as first-time and young voters, during their field visits and facilitate their registration.

The move follows the enumeration process under which BLOs prepared lists categorising voters as Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate, commonly referred to as ASDD. These lists, along with probable reasons for non-inclusion, were made available through local government offices, shared with Booth Level Agents of recognised political parties and uploaded on the websites of state Chief Electoral Officers.

After the draft electoral rolls were published, Electoral Registration Officers considered claims and objections before the final rolls were issued. The ECI has pointed out that the final rolls therefore reflect both changes made during the enumeration stage and additions or deletions arising from the claims and objections process.

The Commission has reiterated that voter enrolment remains a continuous process and that eligible citizens who have not been registered, or whose names have been removed from the rolls, can apply for enrolment.

The lists prepared by BLOs will be shared with Booth Level Agents representing recognised political parties. BLOs will also forward Form 6 applications and field verification reports to the relevant Electoral Registration Officers, who will examine the cases under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.

At the end of the exercise, EROs will provide booth-wise lists to political party representatives, giving them another opportunity to identify eligible voters who may have been left out and assist with their enrolment.

The ECI has also instructed election authorities to organise Booth Level Camps to help citizens submit enrolment applications. Special camps can be arranged for people living in night shelters and labour colonies, as well as homeless and marginalised communities.

Chief Electoral Officers, District Election Officers and EROs have been asked to conduct voter-awareness activities through educational institutions, local outreach programmes, SVEEP initiatives, press briefings and other platforms.

The Commission has further directed officials to regularly monitor the progress of the exercise and ensure that eligible citizens are made aware of the opportunity to register.

The special drive comes amid continued political debate over the SIR exercise, with opposition parties raising concerns about the exclusion of eligible voters. The Election Commission has maintained that the revision process is intended to ensure that eligible citizens are included while ineligible entries are removed from electoral rolls.