SIR Row: EC Gives Another Chance To Voters Excluded From Draft Electoral Rolls In Delhi, 6 Other States To Apply

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday gave an another chance to voters across seven states to include their names in the final electoral rolls. The move targets voters previously marked as ASDD (Absent, Shifted, Dead, and Duplicate) and whose names could not be included in draft rolls during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

In a letter dated November 6 to the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana, and Nagaland, the poll panel directed authorities to facilitate the inclusion of such voters in the final electoral rolls. The decision specifically covers electors who were issued enumeration forms during the SIR drive but whose completed forms were not received back in time.

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How The Process Will Work For Voters

The Election Commission has outlined specific guidelines based on the voter's current status:

• Electors at Same Address: Voters who have not shifted residence must submit their duly filled enumeration forms along with a written statement explaining the reason for the delay in original submission.
• Electors Who Have Shifted Address: Citizens who have moved within the state do not need to file Form 8 for an address change. Instead, they must submit their original enumeration form along with proof of their new residence and a statement specifying their updated address and assembly constituency.
• Homeless Citizens: For electors who do not have residential documentation or are homeless, field verification reports conducted by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will be accepted as valid proof of residence.
• New Form 6 Applicants: Electors who have already submitted Form 6 for fresh enrolment during the SIR are not required to resubmit enumeration forms.

Special Measures 

To maximise voter participation and streamline verification, the ECI has instructed officials to implement several key measures:

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• Direct Contact Channels: BLOs will conduct door-to-door visits, and contact excluded voters through digital channels, including WhatsApp, email, and SMS.
• Public Display of Excluded Lists: Booth-wise lists of excluded electors and the reasons for their exclusion will be posted publicly at polling stations and designated local government offices, as well as uploaded on the respective state Chief Electoral Officers' websites.
• EPIC Retention: Applications will undergo scrutiny by Electoral Registration Officers under Rule 21(1) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. Approved electors will be included in the final electoral roll while retaining their existing EPIC (Voter ID) numbers.

Opposition Slams Move As "Belated Admission"

The announcement comes amid intense controversy over the exercise. Opposition parties have repeatedly accused the ECI of deleting the names of millions of eligible voters at the behest of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). While the poll authority has defended the exercise by citing validation from the Supreme Court, the BJP has labelled the Congress-led Opposition a "sore loser."

Reacting sharply to the ECI's latest order, the Congress party termed the additional opportunity a major U-turn and a "belated admission of wrongful deletion and exclusion."

"Every new set of orders begs the question: what was the point of this bureaucratic mess that every Indian has been put through? These repeated clarifications and amendments actually expose the true intent of the diabolical PM-HM (Narendra Modi-Amit Shah). They have been caught out," the party stated.

The party reiterated its demand for the removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and the scrapping of the exercise.

(With Inputs From Jagran.com)