EC gives fresh chance to voters excluded from draft SIR rolls in Delhi, Maharashtra, 5 other states

The Election Commission has ordered Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana and Nagaland to give certain excluded electors another opportunity to seek inclusion. The measure targets people marked absent, shifted, dead or duplicate, whose enumeration forms were not received during the Special Intensive Revision.

Their booth-wise names must be displayed again at polling stations. Officials can regenerate partly completed forms, contact electors, and accept signed forms in person, through family members or online with e-sign. People may also download forms using their earlier EPIC numbers.

This matters because many excluded people were existing voters, not first-time applicants. The Commission said Form 6 is not required for these cases, although that route remains available. Accepted applicants will retain their previous EPIC numbers, showing they are being restored as existing electors.

A Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, is the process described in the article for checking electoral-roll records through enumeration forms and preparing a revised draft roll. It is meant to identify which electors should appear in the updated list and which records need attention.

During this process, some forms were not received back. Those electors were consequently left out of the draft roll and classified as Absent, Shifted, Dead or Duplicate, known together as ASDD. The categories do not necessarily establish that every excluded person was ineligible; they describe how records were marked during the exercise.

The exclusion created concern because many affected people had voted or appeared on rolls previously. The Supreme Court questioned why they should register as new voters, and the EC later ordered fresh notices, outreach and form submissions before the final roll.

The draft-roll exercise removed about 134 million names across the seven states covered by the Commission’s order. These removals occurred when enumeration forms were not received back and the electors could not be included in the draft electoral roll.

Around 130 million of those 134 million people were classified as Absent, Shifted, Dead or Duplicate. The article groups these labels under ASDD. Their booth-wise lists must be displayed again, and officials must try to contact the affected electors through several channels.

The scale explains why the Commission created a separate re-inclusion opportunity. The process is intended to help people who were missed during enumeration, while still allowing the electoral registration system to check their declarations, identity details and residence before the final roll is prepared.

An excluded voter should submit a fresh enumeration form with the prescribed declaration and an explanation for missing the earlier enumeration round. The form can be submitted in person, through a family member, or online with e-sign. People can use their earlier EPIC number to download and complete it.

This differs from Form 6, which is the statutory application for first-time inclusion in an electoral roll. Form 6 contains a declaration that the applicant is enrolling for the first time and is not already enrolled elsewhere. The EC says excluded existing electors do not need that form under this new process.

Voters who have not moved must provide the signed form and explanation. Those who shifted within the state must submit the form, a statement and address proof, but need not file Form 8. Form 6 remains available as another route.

When an application is accepted, the elector will be included in the final electoral roll with the same EPIC number held before the Special Intensive Revision. EPIC refers to the voter identity-card number used in the electoral system.

Keeping the old number is important because it signals that the person’s record is being restored or retained, rather than created as a new registration. This matches the EC’s decision to let eligible excluded electors use fresh enumeration forms instead of requiring Form 6, whose declaration is meant for first-time applicants.

The final roll will therefore include accepted applicants as existing electors. Their inclusion remains subject to the prescribed form, declaration and any required address proof. The order also requires officials to display lists again and make contact attempts, helping eligible voters complete the process before final publication.

District officials and electoral registration officers must try to locate electors omitted from the draft roll. They are instructed to use booth-level officers, or BLOs, who can contact people directly and help them complete the required forms.

BLOs may reach electors in person, through WhatsApp, email or SMS. They must conduct house-to-house visits in coordination with booth-level agents of political parties. Officials are also told to ask neighbours, families and resident welfare associations for information about the elector’s whereabouts and residence.

This network is meant to find people who were absent during the original enumeration, not simply wait for them to return. Electors can submit forms online or through representatives, while shifted voters must provide address proof when required. These steps create several routes for checking eligibility and residence before final inclusion.

Electoral rolls determine who is listed as eligible to vote, so errors can prevent existing electors from exercising that right. The Supreme Court observed that a person should not lose the right to vote merely because they were absent during enumeration. Accurate rolls therefore require both careful checking and a way to correct omissions.

The EC’s process combines those aims. Officials must redisplay ASDD lists, regenerate partially filled forms and contact people through BLOs, families, neighbours and local groups. Electors submit a signed form and explanation, while shifted voters provide address proof where required. These steps help verify identity and residence.

The approach also protects against treating long-standing electors as new applicants unnecessarily. Accepted people retain their earlier EPIC numbers. The immediate implication is another opportunity before the final roll; the wider lesson is that administrative safeguards should correct missed records without abandoning eligibility checks.