Amid SIR row, ECI gives voters in 7 states 'fresh chance' to enter final rolls

• ECI gives ASDD-flagged electors in seven states another opportunity to enter final voter rolls.

• Around 13 crore names struck off draft rolls across 30 states and UTs fuel Opposition allegations of mass disenfranchisement.

• Fresh forms, BLO visits and special provisions for shifted and homeless voters introduced.

Facing mounting allegations of mass disenfranchisement during the ongoing special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday, 6 November gave electors in seven states another opportunity to secure a place in the final voter lists after their names were excluded from the draft rolls.

The fresh opportunity covers electors marked as 'absent, shifted, dead and duplicate' (ASDD) whose enumeration forms were issued but not returned, resulting in their exclusion from the draft electoral rolls.

In a letter dated 6 November, the Commission directed the chief electoral officers of Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana and Nagaland to facilitate the inclusion of such electors in the final rolls.

The decision comes amid an intensifying political and legal controversy over the SIR exercise, with the Opposition accusing the poll body of systematically removing the names of eligible voters, allegedly at the behest of the BJP. The Commission has defended the exercise, maintaining that it is aimed at removing deceased, duplicate, shifted and otherwise ineligible entries while ensuring the accuracy of electoral rolls.

The scale of the exercise has fuelled concerns. Around 13 crore names were struck off draft electoral rolls across 30 states and Union Territories, according to an investigation by the Indian Express. The figure includes electors classified under various categories, such as deceased, permanently shifted, duplicate and untraceable. It does not, however, establish that all those excluded were eligible voters wrongly deleted.

The controversy has also been compounded by revelations of dissent within the ECI itself. An investigation by Indian Express found that two of the three election commissioners, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, had recorded objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months to decisions and procedures concerning electoral rolls.

Their concerns included changes to Form 6, used for registering new voters, which they described as 'unauthorised' and 'illegal', and the centralisation of control over electoral roll software in the ECI's IT division in Delhi, allegedly restricting access for state-level officials. They also questioned the filing of lakhs of appeals against voters whose names had been restored in West Bengal, saying they had not been informed about who had authorised the move.

The ECI subsequently acknowledged the existence of the internal notes but described them as part of its routine decision-making process, maintaining that all major decisions, including those relating to SIR, had been taken unanimously. However, its response did not directly address several specific concerns raised by the two commissioners, according to the newspaper.

Maharashtra has emerged as a major flashpoint in the controversy. A petition before the Supreme Court alleged that nearly 3 crore names had been removed from the state's electoral rolls, including around 1.22 crore voters placed in the 'logical discrepancy' category. The court sought responses from the ECI and other authorities but declined to stay publication of the revised rolls. The petition has raised questions about the procedure adopted to restore the names of eligible voters who were excluded.

The latest directive seeks to provide another opportunity to a specific category of electors who could not submit their enumeration forms during the revision process.

As part of the exercise, booth-wise lists of all such electors, along with the probable reasons for their exclusion, will be displayed afresh at the respective polling stations and designated local government offices. The lists will also be uploaded on the websites of the respective chief electoral officers.

The ECI has instructed election officials to issue fresh enumeration forms and make every possible effort to contact the affected electors through booth-level officers (BLOs). This will include house-to-house visits and communication through WhatsApp, email and SMS.

Electors who have not shifted residence can submit their duly filled enumeration forms along with a written statement explaining why they could not return them earlier.

Those who have moved within the same state will not be required to file Form 8 for a change of address. Instead, they must submit the enumeration form along with a statement mentioning their new address and Assembly constituency, supported by proof of residence.

In a provision aimed at helping homeless electors, the ECI has said those without address-related documents can use the BLO's field verification report as proof of residence.

All applications will be scrutinised by electoral registration officers under Rule 21(1) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. Applications accepted after verification will be kept separately for inclusion in the final electoral rolls, with the electors retaining their existing elector photo identity card (EPIC) numbers.

The ECI has also clarified that electors who have already submitted Form 6 for fresh enrolment during the SIR exercise will not be required to submit the enumeration form again.

The latest concession comes as the poll body faces growing scrutiny over the transparency and implementation of the revision exercise. Opposition parties have questioned the methodology, the categorisation of untraceable voters and the difficulties faced by people attempting to establish their eligibility.

With PTI inputs