Left out of rolls after SIR? Special voter registration drive in Gujarat on 4 Sundays

Following the SIR, the final electoral roll has 4,40,30,725 registered voters, a marginal increase of 5.60 lakh from 4,34,70,109 names in the draft list published by the EC.

A special drive for the registration of first-time voters (aged 18-19) and other citizens who were previously left out of the electoral roll will be carried out in Gujarat. Names can be included in the electoral roll by filling out Form 6, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer stated.

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sandeep Sagale issued instructions to all District Election Officers and Collectors across the state to organise the drive based on detailed guidelines. The drive, the office of the CEO stated, is a part of the ‘Continuous Updation’ process, and the decision to launch it was taken in accordance with the directives of the Election Commission.

Issuing a clarification regarding the application forms, the office of the CEO stated that ‘as the current period is a ‘Non-SIR’ period, any eligible individual can get their name included in the electoral roll by filling out Form-6, in accordance with the ‘Registration of Electors Rules, 1960’.  The special enrolment drive on the four Sundays falling on October 11, 18 and 25 and November 1, applies to states where the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise has already been completed. Special arrangements will be made at all polling stations on these four Sundays.

The total number of voters in Gujarat stands at 4.40 crore, according to the final electoral rolls published by the Election Commission (EC) on February 17 following the nearly three-and-a-half months of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.   On the four Sundays, designated officers and Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will be present at the polling stations from 10 am to 5 pm to accept applications (forms) regarding claims and objections.

For supervision and monitoring, supervisors will make regular visits to polling stations to ensure the smooth conduct of operations during the special campaign days. Additionally, District Election Officers, electoral registration officers (EROs), and assistant electoral registration officers (AEROs) will conduct random field inspections.

Under this special campaign, SVEEP activities will be conducted in educational institutions by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs). Additionally, widespread awareness will be generated through banners at various locations and via local newspapers.

“It is essential for all eligible citizens of the state—especially young people who have turned 18—to take advantage of this special campaign and register their names in the electoral roll, thereby ensuring the list remains up-to-date and inclusive,” the office of the CEO appealed.  Following the SIR, the final electoral roll has 4,40,30,725 registered voters, a marginal increase of 5.60 lakh from 4,34,70,109 names in the draft list published by the EC.

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According to the data maintained by the Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) office, after the draft list was published on December 19, there has been an addition of 9,56,121 and deletion of 3,95,555 voters, registering a net change of 1.29 per cent. Notably, Gujarat had 5,08,43,436 registered voters in 2002, according to the electoral roll published that year.

At the time of declaration of the final voter list, the office of the CEO had declared that those who have completed 18 years of age on the qualifying date of January 1,2026 can also get their names included in the voter list to be published in the future by filling Form 6. Under the continuous revisions made from time to time, citizens will also be able to file Form number 6, 7 and 8, it further added.