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Key Points

The Election Commission of India is revolutionizing voter roll management through digital technology. By electronically collecting death registration data, they aim to quickly remove deceased voters from electoral lists. The initiative includes redesigning voter information slips with more prominent serial numbers and booth details. These reforms come amid allegations of voter list anomalies by opposition leaders like Rahul Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee.

Key Points: EC Digital Plan to Clean Electoral Rolls Faster

  • EC using digital methods to remove deceased voters efficiently
  • New voter information slip design improves readability
  • Photo identity cards for booth level officers enhances verification
3 min read

EC to use digital data for speedy removal of dead voters' names from electoral rolls

Election Commission launches electronic data collection to remove dead voters and improve electoral roll accuracy nationwide

"The Commission will now obtain death registration data electronically - EC Official"

New Delhi, May 1

Aiming for speedy removal of dead voters' names from electoral rolls, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has decided to directly collect electronic data from the Registrar of Births and Deaths, an official said on Thursday.

At present, the names are not removed or verified by booth level officers till a formal request, through Form 7, is received.

Apart from this, the ECI is planning to modify the design of Voter Information Slips (VIS) to make it more voter-friendly, said the official.

Referring to recent decisions by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar, the official said, "The Commission will now obtain death registration data electronically from the Registrar General of India in line with Rule 9 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 and Section 3(5)(b) of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 (as amended in 2023)."

"This will ensure that the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) get timely information about registered deaths. This will also enable Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to re-verify the information through field visits, without waiting for a formal request under Form 7," said the official in a statement.

To make electoral slips more voter-friendly, the Commission has also decided to modify its design.

"The serial number and booth number of the voter will now be displayed more prominently, with increased font size, making it easier for voters to identify their polling station and for polling officials to locate their names in the electoral roll efficiently," said the official.

The Commission has also directed that all BLOs, who are appointed by the EROs under Section 13B(2) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, be issued standard photo identity cards to ensure that citizens can recognise and interact confidently with BLOs during voter verification and registration drives.

The EC's move comes at a time when Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have been alleging anomalies in voters' lists.

During his visit to Boston last month, LoP Gandhi attacked the EC saying, "It is very clear to us that the Election Commission is compromised, and it is very clear that there is something wrong with the system."

The Trinamool Congress has been stating that voters from different states have the same Election Photo Identity Card (EPIC) number.

In March, a delegation of Trinamool Congress MPs demanded that the ECI ensure a "Unique ID" for the EPIC cards as in Aadhaar cards and passports.

Last month, the Trinamool Congress started a year-long review and verification of the voters' list in West Bengal.

West Bengal Assembly elections to pick a new 294-member legislature are scheduled to be held in March-April 2026.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rajesh K.
Finally some tech-savvy reforms! Digital integration with birth/death records is long overdue. But will state governments cooperate fully? Remember how some states resisted Aadhaar linking initially. Hope this isn't another half-baked scheme 🤞
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Priya M.
Good initiative but implementation is key. My grandmother passed away last year and it took 6 months to remove her name despite submitting Form 7. Hope this digital system works faster. Also appreciate the voter slip redesign - senior citizens in my family struggle with small print.
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Amit S.
While digital updates are welcome, EC must ensure data security. We've seen too many Aadhaar leaks. Also, why no mention of duplicate voter IDs? That's a bigger issue than dead voters! Political parties keep complaining but offer no solutions.
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Sunita R.
As a BLO volunteer in Bangalore, I welcome this change! Currently we waste so much time chasing death certificates. Direct data access will help us focus on voter awareness programs instead. Hope they train us properly on the new system though 😅
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Vikram J.
EC should go one step further - link EPIC with Aadhaar to completely eliminate duplicates. The resistance to this is purely political. Other countries have national ID-based voting systems. Why can't we? This half-measure won't solve the core issues raised by opposition parties.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

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