EC Announces Special Voter Roll Revision Drive in 17 States, UTs to Increase Voter Enrolment

EC Orders Voter Roll Revision in 17 States, Draft Lists on November 12

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered a Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls in 17 states and Union Territories to facilitate the enrolment of new voters and eligible electors who may have been left out during the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR).

Announced on Thursday, October 15, the exercise will cover states including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Punjab and Tamil Nadu. January 1, 2027, has been designated as the qualifying date for voter eligibility. The draft electoral rolls will be published on November 12, with the final lists scheduled for January 4, 2027. Uttar Pradesh and Punjab are expected to hold Assembly elections by February 2027.

The decision comes amid an ongoing political dispute over the SIR process, with opposition parties alleging that the exercise could result in eligible voters being excluded from electoral rolls.

One of the major objections concerns an additional declaration that applicants were required to submit along with Form 6 during the SIR. The declaration asked applicants to establish a link between their parents and the previous intensive revision conducted nearly 20 years ago, a requirement similar to the mapping exercise imposed on existing voters.

Opposition INDIA bloc parties and the youth group Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) have been protesting in Delhi, demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The latest order refers to the Commission’s September 29 instructions to state-level officials to organise a special drive for enrolling eligible voters who were left out, young electors and first-time voters.

The 17 states and UTs covered by the revision are Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Puducherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

Applications for inclusion in the electoral rolls must be submitted through Form 6. The order does not mention the additional declaration that became a major point of contention during the SIR.

In its October 7 clarification, the ECI had stated that the declaration was an additional requirement applicable only to states and UTs undergoing the SIR. Outside the SIR process, the regular forms prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, would remain applicable.

The issue of the additional declaration is also among the matters being examined by the Supreme Court.

EC Tightens Checks to Prevent Wrongful Deletions

The Commission has outlined several safeguards to prevent eligible voters from being removed incorrectly from electoral rolls.

Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) must personally verify deletion cases when the number of deletions exceeds 2% of the total electorate. The same requirement applies when an individual files objections in more than five cases.

The order also cites the Commission’s October 9 directive restricting the number of Form 7 applications that an individual elector can submit. Form 7 is used to request the deletion of a name from the electoral roll, and the restriction aims to discourage bulk applications.

According to the order, the names of electors who have permanently relocated or died can be deleted only after a Form 7 application has been received. In every case, the ERO must issue a reasoned order after hearing the person concerned and upload the decision to the ECINET platform.

Booth Level Agents (BLAs) of recognised political parties may submit up to 10 forms daily to a Booth Level Officer (BLO). If an agent submits more than 30 forms during the claims and objections period, the ERO must personally cross-verify the applications.

For greater transparency, lists of claims and objections must be published on Chief Electoral Officers’ websites and provided to political parties every week.

Revision Schedule Pending for 20 Other States and UTs

The ECI said the schedule for the SSR would be announced later in states and UTs where the SIR is underway or has recently been completed.

These include Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Delhi, Odisha, Sikkim, Tripura and Telangana.

For Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh, where the SIR has not yet started, the schedule for electoral roll revision will be announced separately, taking weather conditions into account.

The latest move comes as the Commission faces mounting scrutiny over voter list revisions. By expanding enrolment opportunities and introducing additional verification requirements for deletions, the EC aims to address concerns over the accuracy and fairness of electoral rolls ahead of the next round of Assembly elections.