Ahmedabad, Dec 19 (IANS) After an intensive Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise spanning nearly one and a half months, the draft electoral roll for Gujarat has been published, marking a significant milestone in the state’s electoral preparedness.
The large-scale revision drive, conducted as per the directions of the Election Commission of India (ECI), has resulted in the registration of 4.34 crore voters across the state.
The SIR campaign was launched on October 27, 2025, and involved an extensive door-to-door verification process, digitisation of enumeration forms, and cross-verification with political parties.
Following the completion of the enumeration phase, the draft electoral roll was officially published on the basis of January 1, 2026, as the qualifying date.
According to official data, out of the earlier total of 5.08 crore registered voters in the state, as many as 73.73 lakh names have been removed from the draft electoral roll.
These deletions were carried out after verification revealed that the voters concerned were either deceased, permanently migrated, absent during verification, or found to be registered at multiple locations.
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Gujarat, Harit Shukla, said that the exercise was completed within the stipulated timeline due to the coordinated efforts of the election machinery and stakeholders at multiple levels.
He noted that the revision drive saw the active participation of 33 District Election Officers, 182 Electoral Registration Officers, 855 Assistant Electoral Registration Officers, 50,963 Booth Level Officers (BLOs), 54,443 Booth Level Agents (BLAs), and 30,833 volunteers.
Urban local body officials, including personnel from municipal corporations and municipalities, were also roped in for the exercise. On the instructions of the Election Commission of India, all municipal commissioners in the state were appointed as Additional District Election Officers for the SIR process.
As part of the enumeration drive, counting forms were distributed to all 5.08 crore voters in mission mode. Of these, 4.34 crore enumeration forms were received and fully digitised. The digitisation process was completed for 4,34,70,109 voters, ensuring a robust and technology-driven database for electoral rolls.
The door-to-door survey conducted by BLOs played a crucial role in identifying ineligible voters. The deletions include 18,07,278 deceased voters, 9,69,662 absent voters, 40,25,553 voters who had permanently migrated, 3,81,470 voters found registered at multiple locations, and 1,89,364 voters removed under other categories.
Officials clarified that despite wide publicity and repeated household visits by BLOs, several voters could not be contacted, or their enumeration forms were not returned. These voters may have settled elsewhere, passed away, failed to submit forms within the stipulated period, or chosen not to remain registered.
Consequently, their names were not included in the draft roll. To ensure transparency and inclusiveness, meetings were held between Booth Level Officers and Booth Level Agents of recognised political parties to verify the status of forms that were not returned.
Following these consultations, constituency-wise lists of voters whose forms were not received have been published on the websites of District Election Officers and the Chief Electoral Officer.
Additionally, verification of 10.69 lakh discrepancies identified under the ASD (Absent, Shifted, Deceased) category has been completed. Officials described Gujarat’s performance during the enumeration phase as notable, underlining the state’s commitment to maintaining the purity and accuracy of electoral rolls.
With the publication of the draft electoral roll, voters have been given time until January 18, 2026, to file claims and objections regarding inclusion, deletion, or correction of details.
Election authorities will verify these claims and objections and dispose of them by February 10, 2026, after issuing notices and conducting personal hearings where required.
The draft electoral roll has been published at all polling stations and designated locations across the state. It is also available on the Chief Electoral Officer’s website at http://ceo.gujarat.gov.in, enabling voters to verify their details online.
Copies of the draft roll, including one printed copy with photographs and one soft copy without photographs, have been handed over to representatives of all recognised political parties. Lists of voters whose enumeration forms were not received have also been shared to facilitate further verification by BLAs.
Political parties have been urged to thoroughly scrutinise the draft roll and assist voters in filing claims or objections by following the prescribed procedure before the deadline.
Young citizens who attain the age of 18 years on or before January 1, 2026, can apply for inclusion in the final electoral roll, scheduled to be published on February 17, 2026, by submitting Form 6.
Voters can verify their names in the draft electoral roll through multiple platforms, including the CEO Gujarat website, the ECI Voters Portal (voters.eci.gov.in), the ECINET mobile application, Booth Level Officers, and the offices of District Election Officers, Electoral Registration Officers, and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers.
Those whose names are missing from the draft roll can apply for inclusion using Form 6, while corrections in existing entries can be requested through Form 8. Objections to the inclusion of any name can be filed using Form 7, either online or offline, along with the required supporting documents.
Election officials reiterated that the Special Intensive Revision exercise aims to ensure a clean, accurate, and inclusive electoral roll ahead of future elections in Gujarat.
–IANS
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