EC orders special electoral roll revision in 17 states, sets Jan 4 deadline for final voter list

The revision will cover states including West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar and Tamil Nadu, with January 1, 2027, set as the qualifying date for voter eligibility.

The draft electoral rolls will be published on November 12, while the final lists are scheduled to be released on January 4, 2027.

The exercise comes ahead of crucial Assembly elections, with Uttar Pradesh and Punjab scheduled to go to the polls by February 2027.

Opposition protests over SIR continue

The latest order comes amid mounting criticism of the SIR exercise, with Opposition parties alleging that the process has resulted in the deletion of eligible voters' names from electoral rolls.

A key point of contention has been an additional declaration required alongside Form 6 for applicants seeking enrolment in states undergoing the SIR.

The declaration required applicants to establish a link between their parents and the last intensive revision of electoral rolls, conducted around two decades ago.

The requirement has drawn objections from Opposition parties and INDIA bloc leaders, who have argued that it places an additional burden on prospective voters.

The youth group Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has also joined the protests in the national capital, with demonstrators demanding the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

The controversy has also reached the Supreme Court, where several issues related to the revision exercise are under consideration.

No additional declaration for regular enrolment

The October 15 order refers to instructions issued by the Election Commission on September 29, directing state officials to undertake a special drive to enrol eligible voters who may have been left out, including young and first-time electors.

The commission has specified that applications for inclusion during the SSR must be submitted through Form 6.

The latest order does not mention the additional declaration associated with the SIR process.

In a clarification issued on October 7, the ECI had stated that the additional declaration was applicable only in states and Union Territories where the SIR was being conducted.

During periods outside the SIR exercise, the regular forms prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, would apply.

The 17 states and Union Territories covered by the latest order 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.

EC introduces safeguards against wrongful deletions

The Election Commission has outlined several safeguards intended to prevent the wrongful deletion of eligible voters from electoral rolls.

Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) must personally cross-verify deletion requests when the number of proposed deletions exceeds 2 per cent of the total electors in an area.

The same requirement applies when a single objector files objections in more than five cases.

The order also refers to the commission's October 9 directive limiting the number of Form 7 applications that an individual elector can submit. Form 7 is used to seek the deletion of names from electoral rolls, and the restriction is intended to discourage bulk filing of applications.

Names of voters who have permanently shifted residence or have died can be removed only after a Form 7 application has been received, the order states.

In every deletion case, the ERO must issue a reasoned order after hearing the person concerned. Such orders must also be uploaded to the ECINET platform.

Political parties to receive weekly updates

The commission has also specified rules for Booth Level Agents (BLAs) appointed by recognised political parties.

BLAs may submit up to 10 forms a day to a Booth Level Officer (BLO). If an agent submits more than 30 forms during the claims period, the ERO must personally cross-verify the applications.

In addition, lists of claims and objections must be published on the websites of the respective Chief Electoral Officers and provided to political parties every week.

The measures are intended to strengthen scrutiny of enrolment and deletion requests and improve transparency during the revision process.

SSR schedule for other states to be announced later

The Election Commission said the schedule for the Special Summary Revision would be announced later for states and Union Territories where the SIR is currently underway or has recently concluded.

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

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

With the final electoral rolls due in early January 2027, the revision is expected to be closely watched, particularly in states preparing for Assembly elections and amid continuing concerns over voter inclusion and deletion.