BLOs to collect documents at homes
NEW DELHI, Sept 26: The Election Commission of India on Saturday eased the verification process under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, deciding that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will visit the homes of voters issued notices for being unmapped or having logical discrepancies and collect the required documents.
The Commission said such voters will not normally be required to appear before the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) or Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) for hearings.
The BLOs will collect the documents from the concerned persons and upload them on the ECINet portal for consideration and decision by the ERO. The Commission said hearings would be held only in exceptional circumstances, as determined by the ERO, and would preferably be conducted online.
It also decided that any adult family member could be authorised by an elector to attend a hearing on their behalf, if required. The Commission directed that facilities for online hearings be strengthened.
The decisions were taken at a meeting of the full Commission held in New Delhi on Saturday.
The Commission also directed District Election Officers (DEOs) to establish adequate help desks and organise special camps, as required, for people living in night shelters, labourers, poor and homeless persons and other vulnerable sections to facilitate their participation in the electoral roll revision process.
On enrolment, the Commission said SIR had already been completed in 20 States and Union Territories, including Bihar and West Bengal. It reiterated that anyone whose name was left out during or after SIR, including young and first-time voters, could apply to the concerned ERO for inclusion in the electoral rolls under the process of continuous updation.
Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) have been directed to facilitate such applications, while CEOs, DEOs and EROs have been asked to immediately launch special drives for enrolment of eligible electors.
The Commission also extended the period for filing claims and objections in Delhi till October 30, 2026, following a request from the Delhi CEO. The deadline for disposal of notices and claims and objections in Delhi has been extended till November 30, 2026.
In Maharashtra, the deadline for filing claims and objections has been extended till October 12, while disposal of notices and claims and objections has been extended till November 10, following a request from the State CEO.
The Commission said the declaration attached to Form 6 for SIR had been upheld by the Supreme Court. For periods outside SIR, the forms prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, would continue to be used.
On the ECINet system, the Commission said field officers have role-based access according to their statutory powers. It has constituted a committee headed by a Senior Deputy Election Commissioner and including an independent expert from an IIT/IIIT to review the system and verify its compliance with the relevant Acts and Rules.
The committee will submit its report to the Commission. The ECI said several upgrades had already been made to the portal based on inputs received from State CEOs and that any further flexibility required by field officers would be made operational.
It further decided that all new initiatives relating to IT modules and portals would be discussed in the Committee of Officers before being placed for approval before the Commission.
The Commission also reiterated that its directions to officers must be meticulously complied with and decided that the Annual Performance Appraisal Reports (APARs) of all officers should be completed within the stipulated timeframe of December 31 every year. Approval of the Commission would also be required for foreign trips undertaken by its officers.
Clarifying recent controversy surrounding its functioning, the Commission said a letter sent to the Cabinet Secretary was not related to any policy matter of the Commission or its IT division but concerned the functioning of an officer on deputation to the ECI.
It said work redistribution orders issued by the officer were not implemented after directions from two Commissioners and that oversight of the IT division by the Deputy Election Commissioner was never withdrawn.
The Commission also reiterated that the SIR order issued on June 24, 2025, for all States and Union Territories was approved unanimously by the Commission and was subsequently upheld by the Supreme Court in its May 27, 2026 order.
It said the final number of electors would be known only after publication of the final rolls in the remaining 12 States and Union Territories covered under Phase III.
Meanwhile, in Goa, the CEO has directed BLOs to conduct house-to-house visits to voters left out of the electoral rolls and collect their forms. Of 97 such voters identified, 81 have already submitted Form 6 for inclusion.
The Commission said the press note was issued on the basis of decisions taken at its September 26 meeting and had the approval of the full Commission.
