Chennai Voter Roll Deadline: Why New Window Opens Amid SIR Confusion

The Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has begun distributing Form-6, the mandatory application for fresh voter enrolment, across the city. The forms are being distributed through nearly 3,700 booth-level officers (BLOs), enabling residents to access them at the local level.

Alongside physical distribution, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has facilitated online applications through its official voter portal, allowing eligible applicants to submit Form-6 digitally.

In many localities, BLOs have already received the forms from zonal offices and have been instructed to provide them to residents who approach them. Applicants are allowed to fill out and submit the forms on the same day.

In some constituencies, BLOs have been directed to hold booth-level camps specifically to distribute and collect Form-6 applications.

Although the original deadline for submitting Form-6 was January 8, there is still no official confirmation on whether this deadline has been extended. This comes even as Tamil Nadu received two extensions for the SIR enumeration process. In certain areas, officials continue to focus on digitising enumeration forms, several of which reportedly contain discrepancies, slowing down the full rollout of the enrolment process.

Applicants opting for the online route can submit Form-6 through www.voters.eci.gov.in. The application requires basic personal details, including name, address, and constituency. For documentation, applicants may upload a self-attested Aadhaar card as proof of both date of birth and residence.

In cases where Aadhaar details contain errors, alternative documents such as birth certificates, PAN cards, driving licences, or Class 10 or 12 mark sheets can be used to establish age. Proof of residence can be provided using utility bills, bank passbooks, gas connection documents, or passports.

The ECI has urged eligible citizens, particularly new voters and those omitted earlier, to submit Form-6 applications at the earliest, assuring that voter identity cards will be issued within about two weeks of approval.

According to GCC data, Chennai has around 40 lakh registered voters, of which 99.8 per cent of SIR forms have already been digitised. However, only about 70 per cent of voters returned the forms, while the remaining entries were digitised under categories such as shifted or absent, in line with ECI guidelines. Some voters, however, have reported technical difficulties with the online portal, including problems in submitting Form-6 digitally, forcing them to resort to manual submission. Authorities are expected to address these issues as the finalisation of the electoral roll progresses.

- IANS