Assam Voter Roll Revamp: 6.27 Lakh New Voters Identified, 2.43 Lakh Names Deleted

Speaking to ANI, Goyal said that approximately 6.27 lakh new voters, individuals turning 18, were identified during verification. Additionally, approximately 5.86 lakh new names have been added to the electoral roll, while 2.43 lakh names were removed from the draft roll.

The CEO added that there is a net deletion of 2.43 lakh names from the draft roll during the finalisation of the list.

"The SIR process in Assam ended on February 10. The process began in November across all 35 districts. We conducted door-to-door verification through BLOs. We found that there are around 6,27,000 children who are about to turn 18. 5,86,000 new names have been added. 2.43 lakh names deleted from draft roll," Goyal told ANI.

Goyal said that cleaning the voter list ahead of elections is a crucial step and asserted that the recently concluded Special Revision exercise has helped publish a "clean and neat" electoral roll in the state.

"This is a very good step because cleaning the voter list before going into an election is very important. In the normal SSR that happens every year, we rely on citizens to come forward and apply for Forms 6, 7, or 8," he added.

The CEO explained that, unlike the usual process, the recent exercise involved door-to-door verification to proactively identify eligible voters and collect necessary forms.

"However, in this process, because we first identified people by going door-to-door, we had a target regarding who we needed to collect forms from. Working in that manner, today we have been able to publish a clean and neat voter list," Goyal added.

Assam Chief Electoral Officer appealed to the people of the state to verify their names in the electoral roll following its publication.

"I would like to appeal to the people of Assam: Since the voter list was published yesterday, please do check your name again. Check on the Voter Helpline App, on the voters.eci.gov.in portal, or go to your BLO. Your name should definitely be on the voter list. If for any reason, you find that your name is not on the voter list, the process of continuous updation has started from today. You still have time. We update the list until the Last Date of Nomination," he said.

Earlier, the Election Commission of India (ECI) launched an extensive EVM and VVPAT awareness campaign across poll-bound States and Union Territory of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal to familiarise voters with the functioning of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) units.

According to the ECI press note, over 1.20 lakh electors participated in EVM Demonstration camps at EDCs across 5 States and UTs, and over 1.16 lakh electors cast mock votes in these demonstrations. Over 29,000 Polling Station Locations (PSLs) have already been covered by MDVs as of February 10.

The campaign is being conducted through EVM Demonstration Centres (EDCs) and Mobile Demonstration Vans (MDVs) in a structured and time-bound manner, the Commission said in a press note. EDCs have been operationalised at District Election Officer Headquarters as well as Returning Officer and Revenue Sub-Division offices across the five States and UTs."The EVM/VVPAT Awareness Campaign is aimed at enhancing voter confidence by providing hands-on experience with the machines, clarifying doubts regarding their functioning, and ensuring complete transparency in the electoral process. Through physical demonstration centres and mobile outreach, the Commission seeks to reach voters across urban and rural areas alike," the poll body said.

The Commission remains committed to conducting transparent elections and will continue to intensify voter awareness initiatives in the coming days.

- ANI