ECI orders special drive for left-out voters in 20 states
What's the story
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has directed a special drive to enroll eligible voters who were left out during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. The initiative is focused on 20 states and Union Territories, including Bihar and West Bengal, where the SIR process has been completed. "Special drives shall be undertaken by the District Election Officers (DEOs) & Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) for the enrolment of left-out and young/first time eligible electors," CEO West Bengal said.
Enrollment process
How voters can apply for inclusion
The special drives will allow eligible electors, including young and first-time voters, to apply for inclusion using Form 6.
District election authorities have been asked to facilitate this enrollment through field-level assistance.
Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will visit homes to identify these voters and help them enroll if they meet eligibility criteria.
BLOs
ECI emphasizes on continuous voter enrollment process
Each BLO is expected to cover at least 20-25 such electors a week, with the verification exercise likely to be completed in a month.
Special camps will also be held for marginalized sections such as people living in night shelters, labor colonies, and the homeless.
The ECI has stressed that voter enrollment is a continuous process and no eligible citizen should be denied registration due to non-inclusion during SIR enumeration
Inclusion directive
13 crore names from draft electoral rolls
The directive comes as almost 13 crore names were removed from draft electoral rolls across states and union territories during the SIR process.
Opposition parties have accused the EC of colluding with the BJP to disenfranchise eligible citizens by holding SIR.
According to data by the poll body and its state officials, the combined voters' list of nine states and three UTs has been reduced by 10.2% after the SIR process, with over 60 lakh dead voters deleted.