By Gitika Sharma
Imagine checking the electoral roll before an election and finding that your name is missing. You have voted before, but now you are left trying to understand what went wrong, whom to approach and what documents you need to submit to get your name back on the list.
For many voters, the difficulty may not end with discovering the omission. It may mean filling out another application, visiting an election office and waiting to find out whether their name will be included in the final list.
“When SIR started, everybody in my family received an SIR form except me. We went to the BLO multiple times, but he said my name is not there and I should register afresh later using Form 6,” said domestic worker Manju Devi, who voted in the 2020 assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. (Source: Self)
In Delhi, nearly 11 lakh names were removed from electoral rolls between January 2025 and June 2026, before the Election Commission of India’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) began. Several residents told Hindustan Times they were unaware that their names had been deleted and consequently missed receiving the forms required for the revision. Officials attributed the deletions to routine revisions and possible errors by booth-level officers.
The scale of the exercise has made the process of restoring names an important part of the debate. When Delhi published its draft electoral roll on August 31, around 47.6 lakh voters were not included. The omissions fell into categories such as absent, shifted, deceased and duplicate entries. These figures refer to names missing from the draft roll, not to a confirmed number of eligible voters who have permanently lost their right to vote.
For anyone who finds their name missing, the next step is to establish their eligibility and apply for inclusion. This generally involves submitting Form 6, along with the required photograph and documents establishing age and residence. Applications can be submitted through the Election Commission‘s voter services portal or through the relevant electoral registration office.
The September 29 letter from the Election Commission’s Secretary to all CEOs states: “In State/UTs where SIR has already been completed, a special drive shall be undertaken by the Chief Electoral Officer, District Election Officers and EROs for the enrolment of left out and young/first time eligible electors under the process of continuous updation.”
If an application is rejected, voters can also challenge the decision. The Election Commission’s procedures provide for an appeal to the District Election Officer, followed by a further appeal to the Chief Electoral Officer of the state. But knowing that an appeal is possible does not necessarily make the process easy to navigate, particularly for people unfamiliar with official procedures or online applications.
The numbers offer another indication of the work involved. Between August 31 and September 24, Delhi received 1,21,224 Form 6 applications, including applications from first-time voters. The figure does not reveal how many applications came from people seeking to restore previously registered names. It does, however, underline the importance of tracking whether those affected by deletions are able to complete the process.
The Election Commission has extended Delhi’s deadline for filing claims, objections and Form 6 applications for inclusion to October 30, 2026. The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on December 4.
Electoral-roll revisions are necessary to keep voter lists accurate. A name missing from a draft roll does not automatically mean that an eligible voter has been disenfranchised. But accuracy also depends on giving eligible citizens a fair opportunity to correct errors, understand the reasons for an omission and have their applications considered.
For a voter trying to get their name back on the list, the process can involve more than proving eligibility. It requires knowing that something has gone wrong in the first place, understanding how to fix it and doing so before the deadline.
An electoral roll must be accurate. But it must also be accessible to the people whose right to vote depends on it.
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