Following the conclusion of the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, the Election Commission of India has directed jurisdictions across states and Union Territories to launch a focused outreach drive aimed at enrolling eligible residents whose names did not appear in the refreshed voter lists. Spanning 20 states and Union Territories, the directive is designed to extend electoral roll access to those who missed the revision process — whether during or after it concluded — along with young people and those registering to vote for the first time.
Written notice carrying the direction went out to Chief Electoral Officers on 29 September, and the Election Commission subsequently reinforced the instruction through a video conference held with state-level officials, according to a broadcast news outlet. Guidance from the Election Commission directed Chief Electoral Officers, District Election Officers, and Electoral Registration Officers to support eligible voters in submitting applications for enrolment through the ongoing continuous updation mechanism.
Questions about what was removed during the revision process have followed the decision. Voter rolls spanning 30 states and Union Territories shed roughly 130 million entries during the drafting process. Where the roll has been brought up to date, the new order takes effect immediately; in places where that work remains ongoing, it has yet to apply.
Voters seeking to re-enrol in states where the revision period has concluded will navigate a reworked application procedure, following adjustments introduced by the Election Commission. Voters in this category may complete the standard statutory Form 6, without the supplementary declaration that the Special Intensive Revision period had previously made mandatory. A written notice from the commission, dated 29 September, made clear that the extra declaration carried force only throughout the revision window. For voter registration activity that falls outside the Special Intensive Revision process, the applicable forms are those prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
What distinguished the update was that the digital Form 6 had previously required applicants to confirm whether they or a parent appeared on the electoral roll drawn up during the most recent revision exercise. Resistance to the revision came from two Election Commissioners — Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi — who placed their opposition on record.
A ballot-by-ballot audit was among the directives issued by the Election Commission. A broadcast by a news outlet reported that the video call included a request for election officials at the state level to cross-reference voter rolls drawn up before and after the Special Intensive Revision, flagging any names that appeared to have been removed without adequate justification. A review of voter records has been directed toward entries that lacked any alternative registration mapping and showed no indication of duplication or death.
Where a voter cannot reach an enrolment office, a Booth Level Officer may travel to that person's residence and assist them in completing Form 6 for addition to the electoral rolls. Party representatives at the polling-booth level, along with their respective organisations, are among those that state election authorities have been directed to bring into the process.
Among those set to benefit from the enrolment drive are 97 Goa residents whose names were absent from the published electoral roll, even after Registration Officers had confirmed their eligibility. Booth Level Officers across Goa were tasked by the Election Commission with visiting those voters door to door and gathering their completed Form 6 applications. By 26 September, 81 of the 97 registered voters had submitted the required Form 6 documentation to be placed on the roll. Of the 97 voters in question, 88 had either submitted Form 6 applications or received confirmation that their applications had been processed, the Election Commission of India stated afterward.
Among the remaining nine individuals, three carried Portuguese passports while the remaining six had addresses outside India. That directive stands apart from the protective measures put in place for states where the Special Intensive Revision process remains ongoing.
Protective measures for voters who receive notices during the active roll revision period were put in place by the Election Commission at its 26 September gathering. Those who receive notices citing "unmapped" status or "logical discrepancies" in their records are not required to attend in person for every such case. At the booth level, officers are authorised to gather paperwork directly from residents' homes and submit it through the ECINET platform for review by the Electoral Registration Officer. Hearings, the Election Commission of India noted, would take place only when circumstances warrant an exception.
A revised schedule gives those in Delhi until 30 October to lodge claims and objections, with the body tasked to process them having until 30 November to complete that work. Residents of Maharashtra have until 12 October to lodge claims or raise objections, with any disposals permitted through to 10 November.
Across 20 states and Union Territories — Bihar and West Bengal among them — the Special Intensive Revision process has been concluded, according to the Election Commission. Those whose names were left off the electoral rolls — including young people and first-time voters — can apply to be added through the ongoing continuous updation process, which has concluded in some states while continuing in others.
