This comes amid increased scrutiny over voter deletions.
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has directed a special drive to enrol “left-out and first-time/young electors” in states where the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral roll has been completed.
“Voter enrolment is a continuous process and any person not yet enrolled in the electoral roll or whose name has got deleted can apply for enrolment at any point….
The objective of the special drive is to identify and facilitate such electors,” the ECI said in a statement.
On Thursday, Karnataka CEO V Anbukkumar ordered election officials to initiate legal proceedings against people who knowingly submit false claims or objections regarding changes to electoral rolls. BLOs will share the lists with the booth-level agents of recognised parties. At the end, electoral registration officers (EROs) will share booth-wise lists with party representatives, giving them an opportunity to enable enrolment of any left-out electors. Any person whose name has got left out during SIR or thereafter, and any person including young/ first-time voter, may apply to the concerned ERO, for inclusion of their names in the electoral rolls under the process of continuous updation. CEOs have been directed to facilitate the same.
Forms and field verification reports would go to the ERO, the competent authority to act as deemed fit in these cases under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. The order came as chief minister DK Shivakumar staged a protest alleging an organised effort to remove voters through Form 7 applications during the SIR. Earlier reporting noted: “SIR has already been completed in 20 States/UTs including Bihar and West Bengal. The CEOs, DEOs, EROs will immediately launch a special drive for enrolment of these electors,” the poll body said in a press note issued on September 26. Earlier reporting noted: In a letter to the CEOs of all States and UTs, the ECI has said that Booth Level Officers (BLO) should prepare a list of electors whose names had been left out and then make door to door visits to ascertain their present status and ensure their enrolment through Form 6 if the concerned person is found eligible.
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Tens of thousands of voters have been left out since 2025, drawing criticism from the Opposition and civil society groups, as part of the SIR. The ECI has now asked BLOs to visit homes to ascertain their present status and facilitate enrolment through Form 6, wherever the person is found to be eligible. It added that they may cover at least 20-25 electors in a week to complete this exercise within about one month. Each elector’s status and the Form 6 filings must be recorded, the ECI said.
