Present, but marked ‘absent’ in SIR; many remain clueless about getting names back on rolls

Residents in parts of Bengaluru found that their names had been removed from electoral rolls after being classified as absent or shifted. Several said they had continued living at the same addresses. Others said they never received enumeration forms or notice explaining the deletion.

At New Timber Yard Layout’s Part No. 242, 389 electors were marked shifted and 275 absent. Lakshmi said she had lived there for years but was marked absent. Other residents said their work kept them away during the day, which may have made door-to-door verification difficult. Some said BLOs told them there was no last date to apply.

The deletions meant residents had to learn about the draft and final rolls and use Form-6 to seek inclusion. Many did not know their names had been removed. The article also reports fears that deletions could affect access to ration benefits and free bus travel for women.

The Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, is a detailed review of electoral rolls. It involves checking existing entries and identifying names that may need correction, removal or restoration. The article connects the exercise with enumeration forms, Booth Level Officers, ASDDO categories and the publication of draft rolls.

The process matters because electoral rolls determine who is listed as an elector at a polling station. During this revision, residents were marked absent or shifted, while others were classified as dead or duplicate. The article reports that some people disputed these classifications and said they still lived at their recorded addresses.

SIR is conducted to update and clean the rolls, but the article shows the risks when communication fails. Many residents did not know about deletions or Form-6. Before the draft rolls, the ASDDO list was published, and many names were later restored, though updated figures were not provided.

The two New Timber Yard Layout polling stations lost nearly half of their recorded electors to proposed deletions. Together, they had 2,818 electors in the Summary Revision 2025 data, while 1,498 were marked for deletion. The scale affected many residents in a locality where people commonly work as labourers, carpenters or daily-wage workers.

At Part No. 242, 776 of 1,419 electors were marked for deletion. The breakdown was 389 shifted, 275 absent, and 112 dead or duplicate. At Part No. 243, 722 of 1,399 electors were marked for deletion, mostly under absent or shifted categories.

Residents disputed several classifications. Some people marked absent said they lived there, while many marked shifted said they had not moved. The article also reports consecutive blocks of serial numbers carrying the same classifications, suggesting that the review affected groups of entries at once.

Form-6 is the application residents were told to use when their names were missing from the electoral rolls. In the reported cases, applying was the route to seek inclusion after a name had been marked for deletion. The article stresses that many residents did not know this option existed.

Sonu said BLOs told residents there was no last date, so many had not submitted Form-6. Later, people learned that another list, the final roll, would follow and that their names could have been included if they had applied earlier. Residents also said they were unsure how to check the rolls or add their names.

The practical lesson is to check the relevant electoral list after a revision and submit Form-6 promptly if the name is absent. The article does not provide detailed instructions about documents, submission locations or deadlines. It does show that delayed information left residents at risk of missing inclusion in the final roll.

A missing name creates a direct voting problem because the electoral roll is the list used to identify electors assigned to a polling station. If a person is not included in the final roll, the person may not be treated as an elector there. The article presents deletion as a serious barrier to voting.

At New Timber Yard Layout, residents learned that their names had been marked absent or shifted only after the revision process was under way. Sonu said many people had not filed Form-6 because they believed there was no urgent deadline. They later learned that a final roll would be prepared and that earlier applications could have restored their names.

The article does not describe the final voting-day procedure or any appeal after publication of the final roll. It does show that residents needed clear information and timely applications to avoid exclusion. Some also feared that deletions could affect ration benefits and free bus travel for women.

Booth Level Officers, or BLOs, are local election officials connected with particular polling-station areas. Their role during a roll revision is to help collect and verify information about electors. They may visit homes, distribute or receive enumeration forms, and support the process of updating entries.

The article says BLOs came from time to time in New Timber Yard Layout. Some residents received forms and submitted them, while others said they never received one. Sonu said BLOs told residents there was no last date for Form-6. In another locality, residents said BLOs told them forms would be issued in another State, but they did not receive them there either.

These accounts show why BLO communication matters. Residents need to know whether their entries are being checked, whether a name has been marked for deletion, and how to seek inclusion. The article records complaints about missing forms and information, while also noting that many names were later restored.

An electoral roll is the official list of people registered as electors for particular polling areas. It records who is included at a polling station. The article discusses polling-station parts, serial numbers and revision data because each entry determines whether a resident appears on the relevant list.

The need for an accurate roll is clear in New Timber Yard Layout. Residents who were marked absent or shifted said they still lived there. Once their names were deleted, they had to learn about the problem and consider applying through Form-6. Some residents did not know how to check the list or restore their names.

A person whose name is absent from the final roll faces a serious obstacle to voting at that polling station. The article does not give a detailed account of voting-day verification. It does establish that names can be restored during the revision process, and that timely information and applications are important.