India’s election commission plans Villupuram enrolment drive

The Election Commission of India plans to conduct a special drive in Villupuram to enrol eligible residents who were left out of the electoral rolls, including young and first-time voters. The campaign will take place under the process of continuous updating of electoral rolls in states and union territories where the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, has already been completed. According to a release from Villupuram District Election Officer and Collector Sheik Abdul Rahman, the declaration form attached to Form 6 applies only during the SIR phase.

During periods outside the SIR process, applicants will instead use the forms prescribed under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960. The announcement sets out which documentation will apply to people seeking enrolment after the revision exercise. It does not provide further details on the drive’s schedule, locations or the number of voters expected to be reached.

The planned campaign is intended to address omissions from the electoral register and to bring newly eligible citizens into the voting system. Young and first-time electors are specifically included among those the commission wants to reach. The district administration’s notice distinguishes between the temporary procedures used during the intensive revision and the standard rules governing continued updates.

The process will therefore rely on the ordinary statutory forms once the SIR phase has ended. The announcement was issued by the district election officer and collector in Villupuram.