ECI to give second chance to voters whose names were removed from electoral rolls in 7 states

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has provided an opportunity for voters in six states and the Union Territory of Delhi to re-register their names, which were removed from the draft electoral rolls during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. According to a report by India Today, the Election Commission has issued directives to the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of Maharashtra, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana, Nagaland, and Delhi regarding this.

The Election Commission clarified in a letter dated 6 November that voters who were provided with Enumeration Forms, but were subsequently excluded from the rolls after being identified as ASDD—meaning Absent, Shifted, Dead, or Duplicate—will now be permitted to re-submit their forms. The primary objective of this process is to ensure that affected voters can have their names included in the final electoral roll.

As per these directives, these voters will be able to submit duly filled Enumeration Forms to the concerned Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) or Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) of their current place of residence. Additionally, the Election Commission has ordered the re-display of booth-wise lists of voters identified under the ASDD category. These lists will be posted on the notice boards of the respective polling stations, Panchayat Bhawans, and urban local body offices. Furthermore, these lists, which will also indicate the potential reasons why voters' names were not included in the draft rolls, will be uploaded in a readable PDF format on the websites of the respective Chief Electoral Officers.

To streamline the administrative process, the ECI has asked District Election Officers and Electoral Registration Officers to re-generate partially filled Enumeration Forms through their ECINET dashboard. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have been instructed to contact the concerned voters and, if contact details are available, ensure that the forms are delivered physically or via WhatsApp, email, or SMS. Voters themselves can also download and fill the forms using their EPIC number from before their names were removed, via the ECI website or the ECINET app.

The Commission has laid down different procedures for voters who have changed their residence and those who have not. Voters who still reside at the same address will have to submit a statement along with the filled and signed Enumeration Form explaining why they were unable to submit the form earlier. These documents can be submitted physically by them or a family member, or submitted online using the e-sign facility on ECINET.

On the other hand, voters who have changed their residence within the same state will not need to submit Form 8. Instead, they will have to provide the Enumeration Form along with a statement giving their new address and assembly constituency details, as well as proof of address, to the concerned ERO or AERO. Additionally, the Election Commission has made special provisions for homeless voters who do not possess address documents. Such voters can use the field verification report conducted by the BLO as proof of residence.