Election Commission stops physical hearings for voters, to start enrolment drive

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday (September 26, 2026) announced a slew of measures addressing concerns over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across the country, including stopping physical hearings for unmapped voters or those with logical discrepancies in their enumeration forms.

It said that the declaration accompanying Form 6 (used for fresh voter registration) is mandatory only during the current SIR process. This in effect means that new voters who seek inclusion in electoral rolls after the ongoing SIR need not submit any such declaration.

The commission also said that any person whose name has got left out during SIR or thereafter, and any person including young/ first-time voters, may apply to the electoral registration officer (ERO) concerned, for inclusion of their names in the electoral rolls. A special drive will immediately be launched for their enrolment, it said in a press note.

The SIR process has already been completed in 20 States and Union Territories.

The fresh initiatives of the poll body came after a meeting of the full bench of the commission on Saturday afternoon (September 26, 2026) and days after reports emerged of a rift within the Election Commissioners over these and other issues in the SIR process as well as the internal working of the ECI.

The press note confirmed that the two Commissioners had written to the Cabinet Secretary but said it was not related to any policy matter of the commission or IT division but related to working of an officer on deputation to the ECI. “The work re-distribution orders issued by the concerned officer were not actually implemented after the orders of the two Commissioners,” it clarified.

The commission’s press note was pertinently accompanied by a photograph of all the three Election Commissioners and mentioned that it “has the approval of the full commission”.

As far as physical hearings were concerned, the statement said: “In case of any person to whom notice has been issued during the ongoing SIR, for being unmapped and for logical discrepancies, BLOs (booth-level officers) will visit the homes of such persons for collection of documents and thereafter upload them on the ECINet, for decision by the ERO.”

“Such persons need not be called for hearing to ERO/AERO office. Only in exceptional circumstances, as decided by the ERO, the hearing will be held preferably online. Any adult member of the family can be authorised by the elector to attend the hearing on their behalf, if required. Facilities for the online hearing are to be strengthened.”

As regards new voter registration, the EC maintained that the declaration form attached to Form 6 for SIR has been upheld by the Supreme Court, but for non-SIR period, the forms appFmahalicable as per rules (the Registration of Electors Rules 1960) will be used for new voter inclusion.

Also read | Declaration part of Form 6 changed since SIR in Bihar

Access issue

The other issue that had attracted the ire of the two Election Commissioners was the supposed centralisation of management of voter rolls through the ECINet portal, with field officers unable to access it in many cases.

The statement said that “A Committee headed by Sr. Deputy Election Commissioner (DEC) and including an independent expert from IIT/IIIT will review the ECINET to double-check that it complies with the provisions of the Acts and Rules and submit report to the Commission”. It added that henceforth, all the new initiatives about IT modules and portals will be discussed in the Committee of Officers (COO) before approval by the commission.

“Field officers have role-based access to the ECINET system as per their statutory powers. In case, any further flexibility is required by the field officers, that will be made operational,” it added.

The commission also extended the period for filing claims and objections for Delhi till October 30 and for Maharashtra till October 12.

Many other administrative measures were also announced. These include circulation of an advanced agenda and issuance of minutes for all of Commission’s meetings, completion of annual performance appraisal reports of all the officers within the stipulated time frame, approval of the commission for foreign trips of officers and compliance with all directions issued by the Commissioners to the officers of the Commission.

The Opposition, which has been seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, remained unimpressed with the statement. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said: “The CEC thinks he can hide behind protocol. He stands exposed and is now petrified as an entire country seeks to hold him accountable.”

“The ongoing SIR which has turned to be method of massive disenfranchisement of several crores of India must be suspended immediately without delay. In the meantime, nothing short of the CEC’s resignation or prosecution will suffice”.