The office of Gujarat's Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) announced on Wednesday that the preparation of a crucial draft voter list is in its final stages. This process is part of a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the state's electoral roll.
Publication Date and Claim Submission Window
The much-anticipated draft voter list will be officially published this Friday, on December 19. Following its release, a vital window for public participation will open. Citizens will have the opportunity to submit objections or claims for corrections between December 19, 2025, and January 18, 2026.
For eligible Indian citizens whose names are missing from the draft roll, the CEO's statement outlined a clear process. They must fill out Form No. 6 and submit it along with the necessary supporting documents to get their names added.
Key Findings from the Revision Exercise
The SIR process has already yielded significant data, revealing several discrepancies in the existing electoral database. The CEO's office shared detailed statistics from the verification phase:
- 18,07,277 voters listed were found to be deceased.
- 9,69,813 voters were absent at their registered addresses.
- 40,26,010 voters had permanently relocated from their listed addresses.
- 381,534 voters had their names repeated in the roll.
The statement strongly reminded the public that having one's name on the voter list in two different places is an offence under the Representation of the People Act.
Scale of the Enrollment Drive
The exercise was conducted on a massive scale. During the initial enumeration phase, a staggering 5.08 crore (50.8 million) forms were distributed across Gujarat. Of these, 4.34 crore (43.4 million) filled forms were returned to the Election Commission of India (ECI), indicating widespread public engagement in the electoral process.
The upcoming publication of the draft roll marks a critical step towards ensuring a clean and accurate voter list for Gujarat, which is fundamental to the integrity of the democratic process.
