SIR: Against 80.62 lakh shifted, absent names, only 6.66 lakh Form-6 applications

When The Hindu spoke to several voters who had been marked as absent or shifted, many said they did not know about the deadline, September 23, or how to fill the form.

Updated - September 20, 2026 07:50 pm IST - Bengaluru

While people can fill Form-6 even after the final rolls are published, the current figures suggest that the number of net additions could be low in the final roll. | Photo Credit: File photo

While more than 80.62 lakh names were deleted from the draft roll after being marked as shifted or absent, and these voters were asked to fill Form-6 to be included in the final rolls, only 6.66 lakh Form-6 applications have been received so far — less than one in 10 of those marked as shifted or absent have applied for inclusion. The figure also includes applications from new voters.

While 24,328 Form-6 applications were received on September 19, during the second campaign when BLOs were instructed to help the public with the inclusion and correction process, 6,42,670 applications were received between June 16 and September 17.

While people can fill Form-6 even after the final rolls are published, the current figures suggest that the number of net additions could be low in the final roll.

When The Hindu spoke to several voters who had been marked as absent or shifted, many said they did not know about the deadline (September 23) or how to fill the form. Several said their applications encountered multiple glitches when they tried to apply online, while others said they did not know whether their names were marked as shifted or absent in the ASDDO list.

Voters marked as permanently shifted or absent account for the largest share of ASDDO deletions, with more than 80.62 lakh names marked under the two categories out of 1.07 crore deletions. More than 15 lakh were marked absent because they were not present during the enumeration phase, while the remaining had a different address in the current and previous rolls, something many said was common as rising rents and changing jobs have made it difficult to stay in one place in the city. Many also said they were wrongly put under the ASDDO category and did not know about it, as they returned the enumeration form as directed.

Even in States where the SIR has been completed, the pattern suggests that the net additions have not been enough to offset the large-scale deletions. The claims and objections process, along with fresh registrations, brought some voters back into the rolls, but the total electorate still remained substantially lower overall.

For instance, Bihar, where the SIR was first conducted, had 7.89 crore electors before the exercise. Although 21.53 lakh eligible electors were added through Form-6 during the revision, the final roll had about 7.42 crore electors — nearly 47 lakh less than before the SIR. Moreover, the figures do not establish how many of those added through Form-6 were electors who had been excluded from the draft roll and subsequently restored.

Published - September 20, 2026 07:49 pm IST

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