Election Commission sets new home-visit and hearing procedure for the electoral roll revision

The Election Commission of India announced procedural changes to how it handles discrepancies flagged during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Where a person is served notice for being "unmapped" from their earlier entry or for other logical discrepancies, Booth Level Officers will now visit that person's home to collect the required documents and upload them on the ECINet portal for a decision by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO), instead of summoning the person to the ERO or Assistant ERO's office. A hearing before the ERO will be held only in exceptional circumstances, and even then preferably online, with facilities for that strengthened; any adult family member may be authorised by the elector to attend on their behalf.

District Election Officers must set up additional help desks or special camps for night-shelter residents, labourers, homeless persons and others who may otherwise find it hard to comply. The Commission noted that the declaration accompanying Form 6 used during an SIR has been upheld by the Supreme Court, and clarified that outside an SIR period, the forms prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 will continue to apply. Field officers were also given role-based access to the ECINet system.