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Uttarakhand publishes post-SIR voter roll, about 8 lakh fewer electors

By CAShorts DeskPublished Source: The Indian Express, citing the Chief Electoral Officer, Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand publishes post-SIR voter roll, about 8 lakh fewer electors
Illustration (AI-generated)

Uttarakhand published its final electoral roll on October 3 with 71,58,949 electors, about 8.02 lakh fewer than when the Special Intensive Revision began in June. Booth Level Officers will now visit voters missing from the pre-SIR roll and help eligible ones enrol, under an Election Commission special drive across 20 states and Union Territories.

Syllabus: Prelims · Polity & Governance; GS2 · Representation of the People Act; GS2 · Constitutional Bodies

Why it matters

A substantially smaller roll makes safeguards against erroneous exclusion a concrete electoral-administration issue. The reported outreach provides a way for eligible missing voters, including young voters and people without stable housing, to seek enrolment. For UPSC, the relevant distinction is between a deletion request and a final verified decision, and between the roles of BLOs, EROs and political parties. The numerical reduction alone does not establish that every deletion was wrong. Door-to-door checks, accessible forms and public scrutiny matter because final publication does not close the enrolment process.

Prelims pointers

  • Form 6 is used to enrol a new elector on the electoral roll.
  • Form 7 is an application seeking deletion of a name from the electoral roll.
  • Booth Level Officers (BLOs) do field verification; the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) receives their reports.
  • Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 prescribe the enrolment forms used outside the SIR period.

Practise a UPSC-style question

Consider the following statements about the post-SIR exercise in Uttarakhand:

1. Publication of the final roll ends opportunities for eligible left-out voters to seek enrolment.

2. BLOs compare the pre-SIR and current rolls to identify missing electors.

3. The exercise also helps first-time and young eligible voters seek enrolment.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. (a) 1 only
  2. (b) 1 and 2 only
  3. (c) 1 and 3 only
  4. (d) 2 and 3 only
Show the answer

Answer: (d) 2 and 3 only

Statement1 is incorrect: the post-SIR drive provides further opportunities for eligible left-out voters to enrol. Statement2 is correct: BLOs compare the two rolls, identify missing electors and visit them. Statement3 is correct: the drive also assists first-time and young eligible voters with Form6. Therefore,2 and3 only is the correct answer.

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