New Delhi: The Election Commission has directed Chief Electoral Officers in all states, along with district election officials and Electoral Registration Officers, to hold special camps to identify and re-add eligible voters who were left out after the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The Commission said SIR work has been completed and final rolls have been published in 20 states and Union Territories, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Assam and Puducherry. It noted that a total of 13 crore names have been removed so far.
In its instructions issued after a video conference with state CEOs on October 1, the Commission stressed that voter enrolment is a continuous process and no eligible citizen should be denied the right to vote merely because they were missed during SIR. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) have been asked to compare pre-SIR and current rolls, prepare booth-wise lists of missing voters, and conduct door-to-door field verification.
If found eligible, such voters must be enrolled immediately through Form 6. Each BLO has been asked to verify at least 20–25 voters in person every week and complete the exercise within a month, while also identifying newly eligible 18-year-old voters for enrolment.
Booth-wise lists will be shared with recognised political parties’ booth-level agents and the concerned registration officers. Form 6 applications, along with BLO field reports, will be submitted to registration officers for final decisions under the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. Special booth-level camps are also to be organised to help hostel residents, labour colonies, the homeless and other socially disadvantaged groups file enrolment applications.
