SIR: Against 80.62 lakh moved, missing names, only 6.66 lakh Form-6 applications

While people can still fill Form 6 after the final rolls are published, current figures suggest that the number of net additions could be low in the final roll. | Photo credit: File photo

While more than 80.62 million names were removed from the drafts after being marked as shifted or absent, and those voters were asked to fill in Form 6 to be included in the final lists, only 6.66 million Form 6 applications have been received so far – less than one in 10 of those marked as shifted or absent applied for inclusion. This figure also includes requests from new voters.

While 24,328 Form 6 applications were received on September 19, 6,42,670 applications were received between June 16 and September 17 during the second campaign where BLOs were instructed to assist the public in the listing and correction process.

While people can still fill Form 6 after the final rolls are published, current figures suggest that the number of net additions could be low in the final roll.

When The Hindu spoke to several voters who were marked absent or shifted, many said they did not know about the deadline (September 23) or how to fill the form. Several said their applications encountered several glitches when they tried to apply online, while others said they did not know if their names had been marked as shifted or missing from the ASDDO list.

Voters marked as permanently displaced or absent account for the largest share of ASDDO deletions, with more than 80.62 million names marked in these two categories out of 1.07 million deleted. More than 15 million were marked absent because they were not present at the enumeration stage, while the rest had a different address in the current and previous lists, which many say is common as rising rents and changing jobs make it difficult to stay in one place in the city. Many also reported that they had been misclassified as an ASDDO and did not know because they had returned the enumeration form as instructed.

Even in states where SIR has been completed, the pattern suggests that net additions have not been enough to offset large-scale deletions. The claims and objections process, along with new registrations, brought some voters back onto the rolls, but overall voter turnout remained substantially lower.

For example, Bihar, where SIR was first conducted, had 7.89 million voters before the exercise. Although 21.53 million eligible voters were added through Form 6 during the revision, the final tally was about 7.42 million voters – nearly 47 million less than before SIR. In addition, the figures do not determine how many of those added via Form 6 were voters who had been excluded from the draft list and subsequently reinstated.

Published – 20 Sep 2026 19:49 IST