Election Commission orders drive to register voters missed in special roll revision

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has instructed 20 states and union territories to launch a focused enrollment drive to register citizens left out during the Special Integrated Review (SIR) of electoral rolls. The directive comes after officials identified discrepancies between voter registers compiled before and after the revision process in these jurisdictions.

Under the order, electoral authorities have been asked to conduct a detailed comparison of pre-SIR and post-SIR voter rolls to pinpoint individuals who were excluded from the updated registers. Once identified, these voters will be enrolled using Form 6, the standard application mechanism for new voter registration.

The SIR process, designed to cleanse and update electoral rolls across the country, has now been completed in the 20 states and UTs covered by this directive. However, the review revealed that some eligible citizens were inadvertently omitted from the final registers, prompting the ECI's corrective action.

Official sources indicated that the special enrollment drive is being mounted to ensure comprehensive voter coverage and prevent eligible citizens from being disenfranchised due to administrative oversights during the revision exercise. The initiative underscores the ECI's commitment to maintaining accurate and inclusive electoral rolls ahead of future polling exercises.

The timeline and modalities for the enrollment drive in each state and union territory are expected to be finalized by electoral authorities in coordination with the ECI's regional offices.