Missing from Maharashtra’s draft voter roll? What to do by October 12

The draft electoral roll of Maharashtra, published on August 31 under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, failed to include millions of names. If your name is among the missing, you have until October 12 to apply for inclusion. An analysis from The Indian Express revealed that 34.81 lakh names were marked as dead, 75.52 lakh permanently shifted, and 76.80 lakh were absent or not found during the house-to-house enumeration.

However, some of these individuals remain eligible to vote. The state has initiated a campaign to locate these voters.

Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are conducting visits to homes to identify eligible voters who are absent from the draft roll. After verifying their eligibility, BLOs collect Form 6, the document used to seek inclusion in the electoral roll. As of now, approximately 6.7 lakh voters across the state have submitted both Form 6 and Form 7.

If you are away from home when a BLO visits, you can still submit your application at designated polling stations on October 10 and 11. If you have moved to a new address, you can still apply if you were marked as absent or migrated.

Your name may also be listed on the CEO's website if you were included during the BLO visits. Alternatively, you can apply offline at the Electoral Registration Officer, Assistant Electoral Registration Officer, your BLO, or at designated polling stations until October 12. Online options are also available through the Election Commission's voter services portal or the ECINET mobile app.

In some cases, students are also being provided special voter-registration camps at colleges and universities. BLOs are assisting students in completing applications and addressing their inquiries about the SIR. If your name appears on the draft roll but you have received a notice for verification, you can disregard the need to appear in person.

The Election Commission has updated the procedure, and BLOs are now tasked with visiting homes to collect necessary documents and submitting them for election officials' review. The goal is to include every eligible voter and eliminate any ineligible names from the roll.