NEW DELHI, Oct 2: The Election Commission of India (ECI) has directed states and Union Territories where the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls has been completed to launch a special drive to identify and enrol eligible voters who may have been left out.
The exercise will focus particularly on left-out electors, first-time voters and young voters, the Commission said in a communication to Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs).
The direction follows the Commission's September 29 communication and a meeting with all CEOs held on October 1.
During the enumeration phase of the SIR exercise, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) prepared lists of voters classified as Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate (ASDD), along with the reasons for their possible non-inclusion. These lists were displayed at Panchayat Bhawans and Urban Local Body offices, shared with Booth Level Agents (BLAs) of recognised political parties and uploaded on the websites of the respective CEOs.
The ECI said voter enrolment remains a continuous process, allowing eligible individuals who have not been registered or whose names have been deleted from the electoral roll to apply for enrolment.
Under the new drive, BLOs will compare the current electoral rolls with the pre-SIR rolls and identify electors whose names appeared earlier but are missing from the current rolls.
BLOs will then conduct house-to-house verification to establish the current status of such electors and facilitate their enrolment through Form 6 wherever they are found eligible.
The Commission has asked BLOs to cover at least 20-25 electors every week, with the exercise expected to be completed in about a month. Details of each identified elector and the status of Form 6 applications will be recorded.
During these visits, BLOs will also assist eligible first-time, young and other left-out voters in submitting enrolment applications.
The lists prepared during the exercise will be shared with BLAs of recognised political parties. BLOs will also submit Form 6 applications and field verification reports to the concerned Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) for further action under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
The ECI has also directed authorities to organise Booth Level Camps to facilitate voter registration, including special camps for people living in night shelters and labour colonies, as well as homeless and marginalised sections.
Chief Electoral Officers, District Election Officers and EROs have been asked to conduct awareness campaigns through educational institutions, local outreach programmes, SVEEP activities, press briefings and other platforms.
The Commission has directed election authorities to regularly monitor the progress of the drive and ensure that the opportunity to enrol reaches all eligible citizens.
