ECI Gives Voters Excluded From Draft Electoral Rolls Another Chance in Seven States, Delhi

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has offered another opportunity to voters excluded from the draft electoral rolls during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise in six states and Delhi. The decision allows electors categorised as Absent, Shifted, Dead or Duplicate (ASDD) to resubmit their Enumeration Forms and seek inclusion in the final voters’ list.

In a communication dated November 6, the poll body directed the Chief Electoral Officers of Maharashtra, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana, Nagaland and Delhi to facilitate fresh submissions from affected voters. These electors had previously been issued enumeration forms but their names were not included in the draft electoral rolls following the revision exercise.

Under the revised arrangement, voters can submit their completed forms to the concerned Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) or Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) responsible for their current ordinary place of residence. The initiative is aimed at ensuring that eligible citizens are not left out of the final electoral rolls because of difficulties encountered during the enumeration process.

The commission has also directed election authorities to publish fresh booth-wise lists of excluded voters. These lists will be displayed on notice boards at polling stations, Panchayat Bhawans and urban local body offices. They will also be uploaded as readable PDF documents on the websites of the respective Chief Electoral Officers, mentioning the probable reasons for the exclusion of individual voters.

As part of the outreach initiative, district election officers and EROs have been instructed to generate partially filled enumeration forms through their ECINET dashboards. Booth-Level Officers (BLOs) will contact the affected electors and deliver the forms either physically or through WhatsApp, email and SMS wherever contact details are available.

Voters can also download and complete their forms through the Election Commission’s website or the ECINET mobile application using their existing Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) number, which was assigned before their names were removed from the draft list. The commission has prescribed different procedures depending on the residence status of the affected voters. Those continuing to live at their previously registered addresses must submit signed enumeration forms along with an explanation for their earlier failure to submit them.

Voters who have shifted within the same state can provide their new residential address, Assembly Constituency details and supporting address documents. They will not be required to submit Form 8 under this arrangement. The ECI has also instructed BLOs to conduct door-to-door visits and coordinate with Booth-Level Agents, neighbours, family members and Resident Welfare Associations to trace missing electors. The measures are intended to improve voter participation and ensure that eligible citizens are included in the final electoral rolls.