The Election Commission of India (ECI) has launched a special voter enrolment drive across 20 states and Union Territories to identify and register eligible citizens whose names were left out of electoral rolls following the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process. The move comes amid growing scrutiny over large-scale deletions from voter lists and concerns about voter inclusion ahead of future elections.
According to directions issued by the Election Commission, state election authorities have been asked to conduct targeted outreach efforts to ensure that eligible voters who were inadvertently excluded are given an opportunity to register through the regular enrolment process.
Why the Drive Was Ordered
The move comes amid allegations that around 13 crore people had their names deleted from the draft electoral rolls through the SIR exercise, raising doubts about the process among political parties, NGOs, and even election watchers. The Election Commission had maintained that the exercise was intended to increase the accuracy of the voter rolls.
In order to tackle such doubts, the ECI has launched the special voter enrolment drive, which is especially important for first-time voters and young voters whose names might have been deleted.
Door-to-Door Verification Planned
One of the significant aspects of the special voter enrolment drive is the participation of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) who have been asked to go door to door to identify the citizens who are eligible but not enrolled in the voter list and help them get enrolled.
Form 6, which is used as an application form for voter registration, will be used by the officials for this purpose. The Election Commission has instructed the local government bodies to make comparisons between the voter list made prior to the SIR exercise and those made after it.
Changes to Registration Process
Another major step in this regard is that the Election Commission has scrapped a controversial provision, which was included in the online form 6 form in the context of SIR. It appears that there were internal doubts about the legal and practical feasibility of this extra requirement. The provision will not be applied in those states where SIR exercise has been completed.
The special voter enrolment drive will now depend on the existing registration system created by the electoral law.
Focus on Restoring Public Confidence
Moreover, the initiation of the special voter enrolment drive is being seen as an attempt to enhance the confidence of the citizens in the voting system. Recent news has mentioned deliberations within the Election Commission about voter roll updates as well as the operation of digital systems in conducting elections. The Commission has begun a check-up of its voter roll software as well.
The officials at the Election Commission have stated that the aim is to make sure that every citizen gets a chance to register as a voter.
What Happens Next?
The special voter enrolment drive is set to take place through the election offices of the concerned areas, special camps, and other efforts on ground for the coming weeks. The citizens that feel that their names are not there on the voter’s list will have an opportunity to get their names added through the form 6.
India as the country gets ready for future elections, the results of the special voter enrolment drive will be keenly watched as a test of the capacity of the Election Commission to balance both electoral integrity and accessibility of voters.