More than 4.5 crore voters who found their names missing from draft electoral rolls have been given a second chance. The Election Commission of India on Friday directed officials in seven states and Union Territories to let these voters submit fresh enumeration forms so their names can be included in the final rolls.
The decision covers voters marked as Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate, known as ASDD, whose enumeration forms were issued but never returned during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, of electoral rolls. In all, 4,51,76,997 names were deleted from the draft rolls across the seven states, according to the Commission.
The move comes after weeks of political heat over the revision exercise, with Opposition parties accusing the poll body of deleting the names of genuine voters. The Commission has maintained that no eligible voter will be left out, and this order is its clearest step yet to back that assurance.
Which states are covered
The fresh chance applies to voters in Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana and Nagaland. In a letter dated November 6, the Commission asked the chief electoral officers of these states to make every effort to reach the affected voters and help them complete the process.
Booth-level officers have been told to contact electors through house-to-house visits, WhatsApp, email and SMS. Booth-wise lists of ASDD voters whose forms never came back will be displayed afresh at polling stations, panchayat bhawans, urban local body offices and block development offices, and uploaded as readable PDFs on the chief electoral officers’ websites.
Who can use this second chance
The order covers three groups of voters:
- Voters still living at the same address whose names were deleted because their enumeration form was not received. They can submit a pre-filled enumeration form along with a short statement explaining why they could not submit it earlier.
- Voters who have shifted within the same state and whose names do not appear in the draft roll. They no longer need to file Form 8. The enumeration form, with the new address and assembly constituency and address proof, goes to the electoral registration officer of the new constituency.
- Voters who already submitted Form 6 for inclusion during the SIR do not need to submit a fresh enumeration form or statement.
Partially filled enumeration forms will be regenerated on the electoral registration officer’s dashboard on the ECINET platform. Voters can also download and fill their forms through the Election Commission’s website or the ECINET app by entering the same Elector Photo Identity Card, or EPIC, number they held before their names were deleted.
Old voter ID numbers will be restored
One detail in the order matters a great deal to the affected voters. Accepted cases will be parked for inclusion in the final roll after verification, and voters will get back the EPIC numbers they held before their names were deleted.
Petitioners in the Delhi SIR case, which the Supreme Court heard on October 28, had called the restoration of old EPIC numbers the most consequential safeguard in the order. Without it, voters who had held the same identity card for years would have had to start afresh as new applicants.
Why the decision matters now
The scale of the deletions is what made this order unavoidable. In Delhi alone, 47.56 lakh electors were deleted in the first phase and placed on the ASDD list, according to the petitioners in the Supreme Court case. Of these, 31.59 lakh were marked permanently shifted and 11.73 lakh were marked absent or untraceable.
The Opposition has kept the pressure on. The INDIA bloc has held protests in New Delhi demanding the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi said in an interview published on Saturday that it has been amply proved in recent months that many elections have been stolen. The Commission has denied favouring any party and says voters wrongly deleted can re-register.
The row flared again on Saturday, when the electoral registration officer of Delhi’s Mustafabad constituency lodged a police complaint seeking an FIR over allegedly false Form 7 applications filed to delete voters who still live at their addresses.
What happens next
In Delhi, the claims and objections window now runs to November 25, disposal of claims is to be completed by December 15, and the final electoral roll is due on December 22. Final rolls for the other states are also yet to be published, which is why the Commission has moved now rather than after publication.
For voters, the practical advice is simple. Check whether your name appears in the draft roll for your area. If it does not, and you were issued an enumeration form that never came back, contact your booth-level officer or download the pre-filled form through the ECINET app using your old EPIC number. Do it before the claims window closes, because once the final roll is published, getting a name added becomes a much longer process.
FAQs
Who qualifies for this fresh chance?
Voters in Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana and Nagaland who were marked ASDD (Absent, Shifted, Dead or Duplicate) and whose enumeration forms were not received back during the SIR.
I have shifted house within the same state. Do I need Form 8?
No. The Commission has waived the Form 8 requirement for such voters. Submit the enumeration form with your new address, assembly constituency and address proof to the electoral registration officer of your new constituency.
I already submitted Form 6 during the revision. Do I need to apply again?
No. Voters who have already submitted Form 6 for inclusion do not need to submit a fresh enumeration form or statement.
Will I get my old voter ID number back?
Yes. Accepted cases will be reassigned the same EPIC number they held before their names were deleted.
Where do I get the form?
From your booth-level officer, from the electoral registration officer’s office, or online through the Election Commission’s website and the ECINET app using your old EPIC number.
The Commission’s message this week is that the revision exercise is not finished until every eligible voter has had a fair chance to stay on the roll. For 4.51 crore people, that chance has now been reopened.
