Activists Anjali Bhardwaj and Amrita Johri have urged the Election Commission of India (ECI) to extend its November 6 relief measures to voters marked as Absent, Shifted, Dead or Duplicate (ASDD) across the country, arguing that the safeguards should not be restricted to the seven states and Union Territories where the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is still underway.
In a letter dated November 10, the activists welcomed the Commission's decision to give excluded voters another opportunity to return to the electoral rolls without having to apply as first-time voters. However, they said the measures left out millions of people facing identical circumstances in states where the SIR process has already concluded.
They pointed out that around 13.3 crore voters who were on electoral rolls before the SIR were excluded from the draft rolls and placed on ASDD lists nationwide. Of these, approximately 4.52 crore were in the seven states covered by the November 6 directive. The activists argued that voters elsewhere should receive the same remedies, including restoration of their original Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) numbers.
Why activists want the November 6 relief extended
The ECI's November 6 communication was addressed to the Chief Electoral Officers of Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana and Nagaland. It directed officials to provide another opportunity to electors whose enumeration forms were not received during the SIR and whose names were consequently excluded from the draft rolls after being marked ASDD.
The Commission also ordered that booth-wise lists of these voters be displayed again at polling stations, panchayat bhawans and urban local body offices. The activists welcomed the directive, particularly its provisions allowing voters to use enumeration forms instead of Form 6, restoring their old EPIC numbers and accepting Booth Level Officer (BLO) field verification reports as proof of residence for homeless voters.
They also supported the emphasis on public awareness, saying their grassroots experience showed that many people did not even know they had been placed on ASDD lists.
However, Bhardwaj and Johri argued that these safeguards should have been incorporated into the SIR framework from the outset. Doing so, they said, could have prevented widespread exclusion and reduced the burden on voters to establish their eligibility again.
An ECI official confirmed that the Commission had received the activists' November 10 letter and would examine their demands. The official said that measures considered feasible and important for facilitating ordinary voters would be implemented.
On the demand to extend the exercise beyond the seven states, the official said the Commission had already announced the Special Summary Revision (SSR) in other states.
How the revised procedure allows voters to return
Under the November 6 directive, District Election Officers and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) have been instructed to contact affected voters through physical delivery, WhatsApp, email and SMS. The ASDD lists are to be displayed afresh at polling stations, panchayat bhawans and urban local body offices, while Booth Level Officers have been asked to help identify and reach the excluded electors.
Voters can also access or submit the relevant forms through the ECI website or the ECINET application, using the same EPIC number they held before their names were deleted.
Those who missed the earlier enumeration deadline can now submit their enumeration forms along with a signed statement explaining why they could not file them on time. They do not have to submit Form 6, which is ordinarily used by people seeking fresh enrolment as voters.
Once their applications are accepted following verification, their original EPIC numbers will be reassigned. Voters who have already submitted Form 6 for fresh enrolment during the SIR do not have to submit an enumeration form again under the revised procedure.
The Commission has also directed officials to facilitate the inclusion of eligible voters in the final electoral rolls and publicise the revised process so that those affected are aware of the opportunity.
Supreme Court had flagged Form 6 requirement
The November 6 decision followed observations made by the Supreme Court on October 28 during a hearing concerning the Delhi SIR.
The bench had questioned the ECI's practice of asking voters marked ASDD to submit Form 6 to regain their place on the electoral rolls. Since Form 6 contains a declaration that the applicant is registering as a first-time voter, the court described the requirement as a 'structural incongruity'.
The activists said the revised framework has nevertheless created unequal treatment based on when voters approached the authorities.
Those who submitted Form 6 before November 6 are being processed as new voters and issued fresh EPIC numbers. Those who waited and are now using the enumeration form can have their earlier EPIC numbers restored.
Bhardwaj and Johri argued that this is precisely the inconsistency identified by the Supreme Court. Voters who followed the ECI's earlier instructions and submitted Form 6 should not be treated as first-time electors, they said.
They also raised concerns about the first-time voter declaration signed by those applicants, arguing that it would remain permanently on official records despite the ECI's November 3 clarification on the issue.
The activists have asked the Commission to identify voters who had already submitted Form 6, instruct them to file enumeration forms, cancel their earlier Form 6 applications and restore their original EPIC numbers.
They have also sought greater transparency in the process, asking the ECI to publish regular updates through a dedicated dashboard or daily bulletins. These updates should disclose how many people on ASDD lists have submitted enumeration forms and how many applications have been approved.
Why the ECI says the exercise is limited to seven states
The November 6 procedure currently applies only to the seven states and Union Territories where the SIR is still underway and the final electoral rolls have not yet been published.
The ECI has said that the SSR has been announced in other states. Unlike the SIR, which involves a fresh enumeration exercise and preparation of electoral rolls, the SSR is a routine revision that updates existing entries by adding, deleting or correcting names.
The distinction has become important for voters excluded during earlier phases of the SIR. The November 6 mechanism allows affected electors to submit their original enumeration forms while the final rolls in the seven covered states are still being prepared. In states where the SIR process has already concluded, the same procedure is not automatically available.
The ECI's October 15 order announced the SSR across 17 states and Union Territories, including West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Gujarat. The draft rolls under this exercise are scheduled for publication on November 12, with claims and objections to be accepted until December 11. The disposal of claims is scheduled to be completed by December 28, and the final electoral rolls are due on January 4, 2027.
The activists, however, have argued that the difference between SIR and SSR should not leave voters in other states without equivalent protection. They want the Commission to establish a mechanism through which all electors facing the same exclusion can regain their place on the rolls without being wrongly classified as new voters.
Wider concerns over voter exclusion
The demand comes amid continuing concerns over the scale of deletions during the SIR and the difficulties faced by voters trying to establish their eligibility.
In Delhi, for instance, Bhardwaj and Johri have highlighted that 47.56 lakh voters were deleted in the first phase and placed on ASDD lists. Of these, 31.59 lakh were marked as permanently shifted, while 11.73 lakh were categorised as absent or untraceable.
The activists have maintained that the revised procedure is an important corrective step, particularly because restoring old EPIC numbers preserves a voter's historical record of having been registered previously.
They have urged the ECI to extend the November 6 safeguards to all voters in a similar legal position, including those who have already applied through Form 6 and received new identification numbers.
Their central demand is that no eligible voter should lose their previous electoral identity or face a more difficult route to reinstatement simply because the SIR exercise has concluded in their state.