Election Commission offers fresh voter inclusion in seven states

The Election Commission on Friday issued a letter to the chief electoral officers of Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana and Nagaland, instructing them to incorporate electors marked as Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate (ASDD) into the final electoral rolls. The move comes amid accusations that the commission had disenfranchised crores of voters during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

Scope of the inclusion exercise

The directive applies to voters who received enumeration forms but did not return them, resulting in their omission from the draft rolls. Booth-wise lists of such electors, together with probable reasons for exclusion, will be displayed at polling stations and designated local government offices, and uploaded on the websites of the respective Chief Electoral Officers.

Procedure for affected voters

Officials have been instructed to provide fresh enumeration forms and to contact the identified electors through Booth Level Officers (BLOs) via house-to-house visits, WhatsApp, e-mail and SMS. Electors who have not shifted residence may submit the filled enumeration form with a statement explaining the delay. Those who have shifted within the state need not file Form-8; they must submit the enumeration form with a statement of the new address and assembly constituency, supported by address proof. Homeless electors lacking documents may rely on the BLO’s field verification report as proof of residence.

Scrutiny and final roll inclusion

Applications will be examined by Electoral Registration Officers under Rule 21(1) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. Accepted applications will be kept separately for inclusion in the final roll, with electors retaining their previous EPIC numbers. Electors who have already submitted Form-6 for fresh enrolment during the SIR will not need to submit the enumeration form again.

Opposition response and EC defence

Opposition parties have alleged that the commission deleted the names of crores of eligible citizens from the rolls at the behest of the BJP. The poll authority, however, defended the revision, citing validation by the Supreme Court. The fresh inclusion opportunity aims to address these concerns and ensure that all eligible voters are reflected in the final rolls before upcoming elections.