RANCHI—More than 4.3 million names have been excluded from Jharkhand's draft electoral rolls following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR), with election authorities saying the deletions came after a statewide verification exercise ahead of the publication of the final voter list later this year.
The Election Commission published the draft electoral roll on Aug. 5 after completing the revision process across the state. According to election officials, about 43.7 lakh names were omitted from the draft list out of an electorate of roughly 26.5 million recorded before the exercise. The deletions followed door-to-door verification conducted by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and scrutiny of voter records.
Officials said the largest share of omitted names involved electors who could not be traced during repeated verification visits. Other deletions related to people who had permanently shifted residence, duplicate entries, deceased voters, or individuals who did not submit the required forms or supporting information during the revision process.
The Election Commission has said the publication of the draft roll does not conclude the revision process. Eligible residents whose names are missing may file claims for inclusion or correction during the statutory claims and objections period, which runs until Sept. 4. The Commission has also scheduled special enrolment camps to facilitate applications from eligible voters. The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on Oct. 7.
The SIR exercise in Jharkhand forms part of a broader electoral roll revision undertaken in multiple states and union territories to update voter records before future elections. Election authorities have said the objective is to remove ineligible entries while ensuring that eligible electors are able to remain on the rolls or seek restoration if omitted.
The Commission has stated that safeguards are built into the process, including multiple visits by BLOs before an elector is classified as untraceable, recording reasons for every deletion, publication of draft rolls for public scrutiny, and appeal mechanisms under the Registration of Electors Rules. It has also said political parties, through their Booth Level Agents, are involved in verifying entries during the revision process.
Election officials said applications received during the claims and objections period would be examined before the electoral rolls are finalized in October, with eligible voters whose claims are accepted to be restored to the rolls.
