New Delhi: An SIR notice or a draft-roll flag does not by itself mean a voter’s final deletion, the Election Commission of India says in a 19-page FAQ that explains home visits for document collection, routes to re-enrolment and appeals. For Delhi voters, the immediate date to note is October 30: the deadline to file claims and objections.
The document separates software from statutory decision-making, saying Electoral Registration Officers decide additions and deletions and denying the use of AI to prepare voter lists. Here are the most useful questions for voters, with the Commission’s answers summarised in plain language.
Read the full 19-page ECI SIR FAQ
Does a name flagged in the draft roll mean the voter has been finally deleted?
No, according to the FAQ. ECI distinguishes entries marked absent, shifted, dead or duplicate in a draft roll from removal from the final electoral roll. It says draft entries are shared with political parties and their booth-level agents for scrutiny, and eligible electors can file claims and objections. The Commission says final totals can be established only after the remaining final rolls are published.
What should a voter do after receiving an SIR notice?
For voters served notices because they are unmapped or have a logical discrepancy, the FAQ says the Booth Level Officer will visit the home, collect documents and upload them on ECINET for the Electoral Registration Officer’s decision. The document summarises this measure from ECI’s September 26 press note.
Is a visit to the election office compulsory in every notice case?
The FAQ says an office hearing is not required in every such case. A hearing will be held only in exceptional circumstances decided by the ERO, preferably online. Where required, a voter may authorise an adult family member to attend on their behalf.
What are the Delhi filing and disposal deadlines?
The deadline to file claims and objections in Delhi is October 30, 2026. November 30, 2026 is the deadline for officials to dispose of notices, claims and objections. These are separate stages: the later disposal date does not extend the filing window.
Does the same deadline apply in Maharashtra?
No. The FAQ gives October 12, 2026 for filing claims and objections in Maharashtra and November 10, 2026 for their disposal. It does not present either state’s dates as a nationwide deadline.
Can an eligible person whose name was missed still enrol?
ECI says electoral-roll updating is continuous. Eligible people missed during or after SIR, as well as new and first-time voters, can apply through Form 6 to their ERO. Young applicants can qualify against January 1, April 1, July 1 or October 1 and do not need to wait for a fresh revision exercise.
Has Form 6 itself been changed?
The Commission says Form 6 remains unchanged. For SIR, a declaration has been attached to the process, including the online process, so voters need not complete the OTP procedure twice. Outside the SIR period, the FAQ says the forms applicable under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 will be used.
Does AI or ECINET decide who is removed?
ECI denies using AI to prepare the voter list. It says the decision to add or remove a name is taken by the ERO under the prescribed legal process, including notice and hearing, while ECINET is a digital platform supporting officials’ work.
What if a voter disagrees with the ERO’s decision?
The FAQ describes an appeal under Section 24 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, first to the District Magistrate and then to the Chief Electoral Officer. It also explains the draft-stage claims and objections mechanism.
What happened at Delhi’s Bela Estate polling part?
Addressing the claim that a Chandni Chowk polling part went from 729 voters to one, ECI says houses and settlements were removed in a 2022–23 demolition drive and residents shifted elsewhere. It says about 500 affected voters submitted Form 6 through a special outreach drive to enrol at their new addresses. Those are applications, not a claim that every application has already been approved.
What does the FAQ say about the 97 Goa cases?
The Commission attributes the omissions to inadvertent mistakes by EROs, not software rejection. Its summary of the September 26 measures says 81 of the 97 voters filled Form 6 after BLO home visits. Filling a form and being included in the roll are separate steps; the FAQ says remaining cases are being processed.
What support is promised for homeless people and workers?
District Election Officers are to arrange sufficient help desks and special camps, as needed, for people in night shelters, labourers, poor and homeless residents. The stated objective is that no eligible elector should be left out.
Will ECINET undergo an independent technical review?
The FAQ says a committee chaired by the Senior Deputy Election Commissioner, with an independent IIT or IIIT expert, will examine whether ECINET complies with the applicable Acts and Rules and report to the Commission. It also says new IT modules will first be discussed by a Committee of Officers before Commission approval.
