Port Blair, Jan 1 (IANS) The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands has released the first daily bulletin for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, marking the beginning of a key exercise to update voter lists ahead of potential elections.

The revision period, which commenced on December 23, 2025, and will continue until January 22, 2026, focuses on the filing of claims and objections to ensure the preparation of an accurate and inclusive Draft Electoral Roll. The current draft electoral roll comprises 2,46,390 electors across the Union Territory.

According to the bulletin, substantial activity has been recorded between December 23, 2025, and January 1, 2026, particularly from political parties and individual electors.

National political parties have actively participated in the process through their Booth Level Agents (BLAs), submitting claims for inclusion and objections for exclusion. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) deployed 321 BLAs and submitted 45 claims for inclusion, with no objections for exclusion. The Indian National Congress (INC) followed with 343 BLAs and filed five inclusion claims.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] appointed 14 BLAs but did not submit any claims or objections, while the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) reported no activity during the period.

In total, political parties mobilised 678 BLAs, resulting in 50 claims for inclusion and no objections for exclusion, the bulletin stated.

The CEO’s office clarified that while BLAs are permitted to collect Form 6 (for inclusion) and Form 7 (for objections) from members of the public, generic complaints or representations without the prescribed forms and required declarations are not considered valid for the revision process. Names will be included in the final electoral roll only after obtaining the necessary statutory declarations, the bulletin emphasised.

Prior to the publication of the draft electoral roll, the CEO’s office received 77 Form 6 applications for additions and 173 Form 7 applications seeking deletions.

Following the publication of the draft roll, direct submissions from electors increased significantly. As many as 2,166 Form 6 and Form 6A applications for inclusion, including those from overseas electors, were received, while only 10 Form 7 applications for exclusion were filed.

Notably, no affidavits under Section 2(g) of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, were submitted by non-electors seeking inclusion or exclusion, in accordance with Rule 20(3)(b) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, the bulletin said.

The initial phase of the SIR exercise reflects growing public participation in the process of refining the electoral database, which is crucial for conducting free and fair elections in the Union Territory.

The CEO’s office has urged all eligible citizens to submit their claims and objections within the ongoing revision period. Booth Level Officers have been deployed to assist electors in completing the necessary formalities.

Residents have been encouraged to verify their particulars in the draft electoral roll, which is available at polling stations and can also be accessed online through the Election Commission of India’s portal.

With no major objections reported so far, the process has progressed smoothly, officials said, adding that further daily bulletins will be issued to track developments and ensure transparency as the deadline approaches.

–IANS

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