New Delhi, 04 September (H.S.): The Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Delhi, has said that eligible voters who were unable to submit their enumeration forms under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) can still get their names included in the electoral roll. They can submit Form-6 along with the prescribed declaration and required documents during the claims and objections period, which will remain open until September 30. The final electoral roll will be published on November 4.

The Chief Electoral Officer’s office issued a detailed clarification on questions raised in reports published in print and social media regarding the draft electoral roll and the Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate (ASDD) list. It said that the draft electoral roll was published on August 31 as part of the intensive revision of the electoral rolls in Delhi.

According to the office, from June 30 to August 17, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) went door to door to distribute pre-printed enumeration forms and verify voters. Voters who were not found at their registered addresses or were found to have shifted from those addresses were placed in the ASDD category in accordance with the prescribed procedure. The BLOs had informed Booth Level Agents (BLAs) before beginning the door-to-door verification and also held meetings with them periodically.

The office said that no voter had been categorised as “shifted” merely on the basis of an assumption. A voter was placed in this category only after the status was confirmed during the door-to-door verification process. Based on information received from BLOs, the list of ASDD voters was prepared in the format prescribed by the Election Commission of India through ECI-Net and has been made available on the website of the Chief Electoral Officer, Delhi.

Voters whose enumeration forms could not be received within the stipulated period have been placed in five categories: deceased, untraceable or absent, permanently shifted, already enrolled and others. Information on the specific reason for placing a voter in a particular category can be accessed through the minutes of the meetings uploaded by the BLOs.

Regarding allegations that addresses of voters included in the ASDD list had not been provided, the office said that BLAs-2 appointed by political parties at the polling-station level had been asked to note down the addresses of the concerned voters during meetings held with BLOs. Political parties were also requested through letters to instruct their BLAs to contact the BLOs and obtain the addresses of voters included in the ASDD list.

Form-8 can be submitted by an existing voter, along with the prescribed declaration and supporting documents, for shifting residence within or outside the constituency, correction of details, replacement of an EPIC without correction, and marking a voter as a person with a disability. Applications can be submitted in person at designated locations, including the offices of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), BLOs and polling stations. The CEO’s office said applications can also be submitted online through the Election Commission’s Voter Service Portal and the ECINET mobile application.

Voters applying for inclusion of a new name through Form-6 will also have to submit the prescribed declaration and required documents. After the claims and objections period ends on September 30, the process will be completed and the final electoral roll will be published on November 4.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar