New Delhi — The Election Commission of India has ordered a special drive to enrol voters who were left out of the electoral rolls after the completion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), along with first-time and young electors. The Commission instructed state election officers to undertake this specific enrolment exercise in states and union territories where the SIR process has concluded. This directive arrives as the poll body faces mounting scrutiny over voter deletions and recent modifications to the voter registration form.
The drive targets two specific groups: voters whose names appeared in pre-SIR rolls but are missing from the current lists, and eligible first-time or young voters who have not yet been enrolled. According to the Commission’s announcement on X, this is a direct response to the gaps identified during the revision exercise. The move is widely seen as a damage control effort following sustained pressure from the Opposition.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh had earlier accused the Commission of creating barriers for Gen Z voters through changes to the online Form 6 on the ECINet portal. In July, the form was altered to include a declaration asking if the applicant, their parent, or grandparent appeared on an earlier SIR roll. Ramesh called this change “completely illegal,” arguing it placed an unfair burden on first-time voters who could not personally have appeared on previous rolls. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi also questioned who ordered these changes within the Commission and raised concerns about the role of Tata Consultancy Services, which manages the ECINet backend.
Former Union minister P Chidambaram added to the criticism, questioning the fate of 13.3 crore voters removed from the rolls under the SIR without due process. He highlighted the impact on citizens unable to cast ballots in recent assembly elections in states like Bihar and West Bengal. Congress has framed the latest ECI move as a “panic reaction” and “damage control,” alleging that the Commission is now trying to address a problem it created through unconstitutional changes to the registration process.
The additional declaration in Form 6 has since been removed from ECINet in states where the SIR is complete, according to reports. The Commission’s special drive now faces the challenge of rebuilding trust among young voters who feel targeted by the revision process. As state election officers begin the enrolment camps, the political battle over the integrity of the electoral roll is set to intensify in the lead-up to the next electoral cycle.