SIR: EC to give parties list of dead, shifted and duplicate voters ahead of draft roll release

The EC (Election Commission) on Wednesday announced that BLAs (booth-level agents) appointed by political parties will receive detailed lists of dead, shifted and duplicate voters ahead of the publication of draft electoral rolls in 12 states and Union territories where a SIR (Special Intensive Revision) is currently underway.

Draft rolls for these nine states and three Union territories will be published on 16 December.

According to the Commission, CEOs (chief electoral officers) have been instructed to share a booth-wise list of voters who fall into the categories of “absent”, “shifted”, “dead” or “duplicate”.

These entries represent individuals whom BLOs (booth-level officers) were unable to contact despite three separate attempts made in accordance with EC guidelines.

The voter details will be provided to BLAs before the draft rolls are released so that political parties can participate in the verification process at the booth level.

The EC said the step is aimed at improving transparency and accuracy during the SIR exercise, which has drawn scrutiny in recent weeks over concerns about mass deletions and classification of “doubtful” voters.

The Commission noted that the same protocol was followed in Bihar during its SIR earlier this year, where BLAs were also provided with the list of absent, shifted and dead voters before the publication of draft rolls.

As part of the ongoing revision, BLOs are required to physically verify entries, conduct door-to-door checks and flag inconsistencies or untraceable voters. Once the draft rolls are published on 16 December, citizens, political parties and other stakeholders will have an opportunity to file objections or request corrections within the statutory period.

The final electoral rolls will be released after all claims and objections are resolved as per the provisions of the Representation of the People Act.