Election Commission SIR Drive: 20 States Told to Enrol Left-Out Voters

NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India has directed election authorities in 20 States and Union Territories where the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has been completed to conduct a special drive for eligible voters whose names were left out of the electoral rolls. The move also covers young and first-time voters seeking inclusion through the regular continuous updation process. According to the Election Commission of India, the initiative was approved at a Commission meeting held on September 26, 2026.

Election Commission SIR Drive Covers 20 States And UTs

The Election Commission SIR drive applies in the 20 States/UTs where the revision exercise has been completed, including Bihar and West Bengal. The Commission has directed Chief Electoral Officers, District Election Officers and Electoral Registration Officers to facilitate applications from people whose names were left out during SIR or afterwards.

The Left out voters enrolment process will operate through continuous updation of electoral rolls. Eligible applicants can approach the concerned Electoral Registration Officer for inclusion, rather than being required to go through the additional declaration used specifically during the SIR period.

The move comes as the Election Commission row continues to feature prominently in India’s political debate, with opposition parties raising objections over aspects of the voter-list revision process while the Commission has defended its procedures.

How Left Out Voters Enrolment Will Work

Under the special arrangement, officials are expected to identify eligible electors who were present in earlier rolls but are absent from the revised records. The Commission has also asked authorities to facilitate enrolment of young and first-time voters.

The Election Commission SIR drive therefore combines identification of omitted electors with the ordinary legal process for adding eligible voters to the roll. The Commission has said voter enrolment remains a continuous process.

The ECI draft electoral roll should also be distinguished from the final electoral roll. A person’s absence from a draft list does not by itself establish that an eligible voter was wrongly excluded; the current exercise is intended to give eligible people a route to seek inclusion.

ECI Draft Electoral Roll And The Next Step

The ECI draft electoral roll process forms part of the broader SIR exercise, which is being carried out in phases across States and Union Territories. The Commission said final elector numbers would only be known after final publication in the remaining Phase III States/UTs.

The Left out voters enrolment effort is therefore separate from the question of whether every deletion during SIR was valid. Its immediate purpose is to identify eligible people who are missing from the current rolls and help them submit applications for inclusion.

The Commission has also reported a concrete example from Goa, where Booth Level Officers were directed to visit left-out voters. Of 97 identified voters, 81 had already filled Form 6 for inclusion at the time of the Commission’s September 26 update.

The ECI draft electoral roll debate is also unfolding alongside a separate electoral reform case before the Supreme Court concerning the law governing appointments to the Election Commission.