The Election Commission of India has directed twenty states and union territories where the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls is complete to run a special enrolment drive for people left off the lists. The exercise was announced around 26 September and reinforced at a video conference on 1 October. Roughly 130 million names are reported to have been removed from rolls across the states and territories covered by the revision. Anyone whose name was omitted during the revision or afterwards, including young and first-time eligible voters, can apply for inclusion. Electoral officers have been told to compare the rolls before and after the revision to identify exactly which names were deleted.
Booth Level Officers may visit homes to collect documents and help applicants fill in Form 6, and political parties and their agents can assist. Online hearings are allowed in exceptional cases, and relatives may appear on an elector’s behalf. The commission has also confined the controversial extra declaration in Form 6, which asks applicants whether they appeared on earlier rolls, to the revision phase itself. In states where the revision has ended, the standard statutory form under the 1960 registration rules will be used. Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi had objected to the added declaration, with Sandhu reportedly calling it unauthorised.
The decision comes amid mounting allegations against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and opposition protests over deletions. Deadlines for filing claims were also extended, to 30 October in Delhi and 12 October in Maharashtra. A committee including an independent IIT or IIIT expert will review the commission’s ECINet software for compliance.