EC Orders 'Left Out' Voter Drive Post Deletions

The Cliff News | 2 October 2026

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has directed 20 states and Union Territories to conduct a special enrollment drive for voters who were left out of the electoral rolls following a nationwide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise. This directive comes after concerns were raised regarding the scale of name deletions from the draft rolls.

The instruction, conveyed in writing on September 29 and reiterated in a video conference, aims to rectify errors and ensure eligible citizens are not disenfranchised. The move follows an investigation that revealed significant objections from Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi regarding decisions made without their full knowledge, including changes to voter application forms and centralized control of the software used for electoral rolls.

Special Drive to Enrol 'Left Out' Voters

The September 29 letter from the ECI's Secretary to all Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) mandates that in states and UTs where the SIR has concluded, a special drive will be undertaken. This initiative will focus on enrolling voters who were "left out," as well as young and first-time eligible electors, under the ongoing process of continuous updation.

This drive will utilize a revised Form 6, reverting to the original statutory form without a question added in July. The amended online form had required applicants to declare if they or their parents were on the voters' list after the last SIR, posing difficulties for those whose parents had been deleted and leaving them with no truthful option to proceed. Both Commissioners had previously flagged this change as problematic.

Broader Scope for Re-enrolment

During a video conference with state CEOs on Thursday, the directive was further elaborated. Deputy Election Commissioners instructed CEOs to compare pre- and post-SIR rolls, identify deleted names, and pinpoint any individuals who may have been unfairly omitted. Officials confirmed that this includes visiting homes to assist voters in filling out Form 6, particularly those not mapped elsewhere or whose deletion was not due to duplication or death.

The CEOs have been advised to seek the assistance of political parties and their booth-level agents for this extensive re-enrolment effort. The primary goal is to bring back any voter who was unjustly excluded from the rolls, using Form 6, the standard application for new voters.

Addressing Past Omissions

This approach mirrors the process Goa's CEO is expected to follow to re-enrol 97 voters who were excluded from the state's final roll despite being deemed eligible by its own Electoral Registration Officers (EROs). These voters were deleted at the draft stage, provided necessary documentation, and cleared by EROs, only to find that the ECINet system offered no option to reverse the deletion. Despite multiple communications from the CEO to the Commission, the issue remained unresolved until the recent directive.

Election Commissioner Sukhbir Singh Sandhu had previously raised concerns on August 14 about the centralized control of ECINet by the DG (IT), stating that it restricted the operational freedom of statutory authorities like EROs, DEOs, and CEOs, who are legally responsible for electoral rolls. Commissioner Vivek Joshi had also expressed concern in May about the "gradual centralisation of the electoral roll database" and called for an audit.

ECI Meeting and Software Adjustments

The September 29 letter followed a Commission meeting on September 26, its second full sitting since April. During this meeting, it was decided that voters who received notices for being "unmapped" or for "logical discrepancies" would not need to appear for hearings. A committee, including an independent expert from IIT/IIIT, will review ECINet, and necessary "flexibility" will be operationalized in the software for field officers.

The letter confirms these changes to the states and is copied to the DG (IT) for implementation. Crucially, it clarifies that the declaration attached to Form 6 will now be restricted to the SIR phase only, with standard Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, forms to be used otherwise.

Maharashtra's Proactive Measures

In light of the ECI's directive, Maharashtra, currently the largest state undergoing the SIR, has instructed its EROs to avoid hasty deletions. A note from the Chief Electoral Officer's office emphasizes providing voters with sufficient opportunity to submit documents and holding hearings before any name is excluded, ensuring that eligible voters are not left off the rolls and their right to vote is protected.

Officials are directed to conduct thorough scrutiny at the ERO level and not make negative decisions prematurely. This aligns with the September 26 decision to allow Booth Level Officers to collect documents from voters served notices, uploading them for EROs to decide, and to inform those already sent hearing notices that their presence may not be required.

Special camps are scheduled for October 3, 4, 10, and 11 to facilitate this process. Safeguards are in place for cases not resolved by BLO visits, allowing for further document submission and a final hearing before any deletion is finalized.

Maharashtra's draft roll had identified 1.22 crore records for verification due to discrepancies in relatives' details or lack of mapping to a relative in the previous roll. The necessary changes to ECINet and the BLO App are reportedly still being implemented at the Commission level.