Sikkim's Electoral Roll Updated: Over 54,000 Names Removed
Significant Changes in Sikkim's Voter List
The final roll marks the completion of Sikkim’s latest exercise to verify and update its electoral records
Gangtok, Sept 6: The Election Commission has announced the removal of 54,209 names from Sikkim's electoral rolls as part of a thorough Special Intensive Revision (SIR). The final voter count published on September 6 shows a decrease of 3.42% compared to the draft roll.
The updated electoral roll now lists 4,18,467 voters, reflecting a reduction of 14,827 from the draft roll's total of 4,33,294.
Out of the 54,209 names eliminated, 37,724 were identified as deceased, relocated, absent, or duplicates.
Additionally, 16,485 voters were deemed ineligible after a detailed review during the notice and hearing phase of the revision.
Officials stated, “The multi-stage SIR aimed to remove erroneous and duplicate entries, including ghost entries, ensuring the electoral roll accurately represents Sikkim's eligible voters.”
The final roll includes 2,12,534 male voters, 2,05,931 female voters, and two voters identifying as third-gender.
The SIR process, which commenced in May, involved distributing enumeration forms statewide through booth-level officers.
Authorities received 4,33,242 completed forms, achieving a return rate of 91.99%. Meanwhile, 37,737 forms were not returned and categorized as Absentee, Shifted, Dead, or Duplicate.
This exercise identified 14,603 voters who had permanently shifted, 10,837 deceased individuals, 8,648 untraceable voters, and 2,396 duplicate entries, with 1,253 falling into other categories.
The draft roll had 3,61,159 electors whose details matched previous rolls, while 72,135 remained unmapped. The Election Commission's IT system flagged 52,384 mapped electors for logical inconsistencies.
Subsequently, 1,24,519 notices were issued for unmapped and discrepant entries.
Electoral Registration Officers and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers conducted hearings, reviewed documents, and recorded undertakings on the ECINET platform.
During the claims and objections period from July 5 to August 4, officials received 2,052 claims for inclusion, 16,867 objections, and 1,549 requests for corrections or shifts through Forms 6, 7, and 8, respectively. After verification, 1,982 electors were added, while 16,809 were removed.
The deletions included 16,485 electors found ineligible during hearings and 324 removed due to Form 7 objections.
Moreover, Sikkim's polling stations increased from 572 to 625, with 53 new stations established before the draft roll's publication.
Final roll copies have been distributed to recognized political parties. The public can review the rolls at the offices of Electoral Registration Officers and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers, with online access available through direct links and QR codes.
Individuals dissatisfied with an Electoral Registration Officer's decision can appeal under Section 24 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.
As of September 6, the District Electoral Officer-level First Appellate Authority had received 111 online appeals, with 91 addressed and 20 pending. It also received 103 offline appeals, responding to 96 and leaving seven pending.
At the Chief Electoral Officer level, the Second Appellate Authority received 42 offline appeals, resolving six and leaving 36 pending.
The publication of the final roll signifies the successful completion of Sikkim's recent effort to verify and update its electoral records.