CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has achieved 100% coverage in distributing enumeration forms for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls as well as digitisation of all completed forms submitted by voters, according to the SIR updates issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI).
When asked how 100% digitisation of forms could be achieved since there are voters who come under the category of Absent, Shifted and Dead (ASD), an official explained that the forms of those under the ASD will also be digitised with a note about “whether the voter is absent, shifted or dead”. However, the names of these voters will not appear in the draft electoral rolls.
Meanwhile, the ECI on Thursday extended the enumeration period by three more days, that is, till December 14.
According to the revised schedule, the publication of the draft electoral rolls will take place on December 19 instead of December 16. The period for filing claims and objections will be from December 19, 2025, to January 18, 2026. The final rolls will be published on February 17.
Chief Electoral Officer Archana Patnaik, in an official release, clarified the reasons for the extension of the enumeration period and revision of other dates.
“This step is in line with the ECI’s commitment that no eligible elector is left out. During the extended period, the booth-level officers (BLOs) will be conducting meetings at their booth level with the booth-level agents (BLAs) of recognised political parties. During the meeting, booth-wise lists of voters marked as Absent, Shifted or Dead/Duplicate (ASD), who could not be contacted even after three or more visits by the BLOs along with the BLAs will be shared with the BLAs of the recognised political parties,” the CEO said.
The CEO also said the 68,467 BLOs of the state are holding booth-wise meetings and handing over the ASD lists to the BLAs. This is to ascertain the exact status of each such voter on the ASD list, so that any error can be rectified before the publication of the draft electoral roll itself.
Besides, during the extended enumeration period, the increase in the number of polling stations to 75,035 will be effected in the electoral roll database. Also, new voters will be encouraged to fill up Form 6, along with a declaration and submit it to the BLOs, or fill out the form and declaration online using the ECINet App/website https://voters.eci.gov.in to get their names included in the final electoral rolls.
The CEO also said the first-level checking (FLC) of the EVMs and VVPATs to be used for the 2026 Assembly elections started on December 11 in all districts. The FLC process is also monitored at the level of the District Election Officer, the CEO and the ECI. A total of 13 EVM nodal officers of various states have been deployed to inspect the FLC preparedness, quality check and storage of EVMs and VVPATs in all districts.