ECI Orders Voter Re-Enrolment Drive

Electoral rolls are under renewed scrutiny as the Election Commission of India (ECI) moves to address voters omitted during the nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

The ECI has directed 20 states and Union Territories that completed SIR to launch special drives for eligible voters left out of the rolls.

The instruction was issued on September 29 and reiterated during a meeting with state Chief Electoral Officers on Thursday.

The move follows scrutiny over nearly 13 crore deletions from draft rolls across 30 states and Union Territories.

The Commission has now asked officials to compare pre-SIR and post-SIR rolls. They must identify voters who may have been wrongly excluded.

Officials have also been told to visit such voters’ homes. Where voters are not duplicates or deceased, officers should help them submit Form 6 for re-enrolment.

Political parties and their booth-level agents may assist with the exercise.

Importantly, voters outside the SIR process will use the statutory Form 6 without the additional declaration introduced during SIR.

The Commission has clarified that the declaration concerning previous rolls will apply only during the SIR phase.

The decision also addresses concerns raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi.

Both had questioned changes to Form 6 and centralised control over ECINet, the system used for electoral rolls. Sandhu had also raised concerns about restricted access for statutory election officials.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra has introduced additional safeguards as its SIR continues. Officials have been told not to remove names hastily.

Voters must receive sufficient opportunity to submit documents and attend hearings where required.

The state has also planned special camps on October 3, 4, 10 and 11. Its draft roll flagged 1.22 crore records for verification, including 59.75 lakh voters who could not be mapped to relatives in the previous roll.

The ECI’s latest steps place greater emphasis on checking exclusions and restoring eligible voters before final rolls are settled.

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