‘Alive’ to voters’ need to find their names on the electoral roll, ECI assures Supreme Court

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has assured the Supreme Court of its commitment to addressing the issue of voters omitted from the electoral roll. In a supplementary affidavit, the ECI detailed the measures taken to ensure eligible voters are included in the list.

Directions were issued on November 6 to Chief Electoral Officers of various states to allow voters listed as absent, shifted, dead, or duplicate (ASDD) to submit their Enumeration Forms to the appropriate electoral registration officer (ERO) or assistant electoral registration officer (AERO). ECI clarified that electors who had not shifted residences need only submit the signed Enumeration Form along with a statement explaining the reason for non-submission.

For those who had shifted within the same state, they could submit the Enumeration Form along with the necessary change of address details.

The ECI has also separated the online Form 6 and the accompanying declaration for states undergoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Previously, the declaration was withdrawn from digital platforms once SIR was completed. The Commission has also instructed the display of booth-wise lists of left-out electors, along with the reasons for their exclusion, in booths undergoing revision.

The petitioners in the Supreme Court, including activist Anjali Bhardwaj, argued that previously registered voters excluded from the draft electoral roll were being forced to submit Form 6, meant for new voters, to be re-included. However, the ECI clarified that no elector would be deterred from getting their name included in the final electoral roll if they meet the eligibility conditions, while also preventing duplication.