Electoral roll revision enters final stretch as verification deadline nears

The ongoing Special Intensive Revision of the electoral roll in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands has entered its final phase, with the Enumeration stage scheduled to conclude on December 18, 2025. The Chief Electoral Officer has called upon electors and political parties to verify the status of names listed as “uncollectable” to ensure eligible voters are not excluded from the draft electoral roll due to be published later this month.

At the grassroots level, Booth Level Officers have completed meetings with Booth Level Agents across polling stations and shared lists of Enumeration Forms that could not be collected during the field exercise. These lists have been circulated to Booth Level Agents for verification wherever such agents have been appointed by recognised political parties. In polling stations where no Booth Level Agent is in place, the uncollectable lists have been displayed publicly at the polling station premises to allow electors to check and respond.

The uncollectable category covers several classifications, including electors marked as deceased, untraceable or absent, permanently shifted, already enrolled elsewhere, and other similar reasons identified during enumeration. Election officials have indicated that the purpose of making these lists publicly accessible is to introduce an additional layer of verification before the draft roll is finalised, reducing the scope for genuine voters being left out due to outdated or incomplete information.

Details of meetings held between Booth Level Officers and Booth Level Agents, along with photographs and copies of the uncollectable lists, have been uploaded on the Chief Electoral Officer’s official website as well as on the respective District Administration websites. The digital disclosure is intended to allow wider scrutiny beyond physical polling station locations, particularly for electors who may not be able to visit polling booths during working hours.

Parallel to the booth-level exercise, Electoral Registration Officers and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers have also conducted meetings with representatives of recognised political parties. During these interactions, lists of uncollectable forms were shared for verification, enabling parties to cross-check voter data at the constituency level and flag cases where electors may still be eligible and available.

The Chief Electoral Officer has appealed to political parties and individual electors to actively verify the uncollectable lists before the December 18 deadline. If any person included in the uncollectable category is available or traceable, they have been advised to immediately contact the concerned Booth Level Officer, visit the offices of the Assistant Electoral Registration Officer, Electoral Registration Officer or District Election Officer, or reach out through the voter helpline number 1950 within the stipulated timeframe.

Election officials have clarified that timely verification can help ensure such names are included in the draft electoral roll scheduled for publication on December 23, 2025. The draft roll will serve as the basis for the subsequent claims and objections process, during which electors will have an opportunity to seek corrections, additions or deletions as per established procedures.

For those whose names do not appear in the draft roll when it is published, the administration has outlined the next steps. Eligible voters may apply for inclusion through Form-6 along with the mandatory declaration form during the claims and objections period, which will run from December 23, 2025, to January 22, 2026. This window is intended to address residual omissions and ensure that the final electoral roll reflects an accurate and updated list of eligible voters.

The Special Intensive Revision exercise is being carried out as part of routine electoral roll maintenance aimed at improving accuracy and transparency ahead of future electoral processes. With the enumeration phase nearing completion, election authorities have underscored the importance of public participation in verification, noting that the effectiveness of the revision depends on timely feedback from electors and political stakeholders alike.