ECI allows excluded voters to submit forms for inclusion in electoral rolls during SIR
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The Election Commission of India (ECI) has allowed voters excluded from draft electoral rolls during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to submit enumeration forms for inclusion in the rolls.
In an affidavit filed before the Supreme Court on Saturday, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi said the decision applies to voters excluded due to non-submission of enumeration forms in states and Union Territories where the SIR is underway.
The decision follows a suggestion made during the October 28 court proceedings on the Delhi SIR. The court had suggested that the ECI explore ways to reach out to voters categorised as Absent, Shifted, Dead or Duplicate (ASDD).
Under fresh directions issued on November 6, voters can submit completed enumeration forms to the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) or Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) of their current ordinary residence. Those who have not changed residence can submit a signed form with an Annexure-B statement explaining the reason for the earlier non-submission.
Forms can be submitted in person, through family members or online with an e-signature through ECINET.
Voters who have shifted within the same state are exempt from submitting Form-8. They can instead submit an enumeration form with an Annexure-C statement containing their new address and Assembly constituency, along with address proof.
The ECI said booth-wise lists of deleted electors would be displayed again, with probable reasons for their exclusion. Eligible voters who have already submitted Form-6 during the SIR need not file fresh enumeration forms.
The Commission said it remains committed to ensuring that no eligible voter is excluded from the final electoral roll while preventing duplicate entries.
It also acknowledged operational challenges due to the large volume of voter data and its digitalisation, stating, "There are challenges on count of the large numbers involved, and also because the full data is digitalised. There have been and will be problems that arise from to time and the Commission remains alive to the need to ensure that those who are eligible to vote find their name in the voters lists but equally at the same time to ensure that all inconsistencies in these lists are addressed."