ElectoralRoll – ECI Extends Andhra Pradesh Voter Roll Revision Timeline
ElectoralRoll – The Election Commission of India (ECI) has granted a 10-day extension for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Andhra Pradesh, allowing officials to continue the door-to-door voter verification exercise until July 24. The move aims to ensure that voter information is collected and digitised accurately before the publication of the draft electoral roll.
Revised Timeline for Electoral Roll Update
The extension was announced on the day the original deadline was due to end. Under the updated schedule, the draft electoral roll will now be published on July 31. Following its release, citizens and political parties will have until August 30 to submit claims, corrections, or objections regarding voter details. After reviewing these submissions, the Election Commission plans to release the final electoral roll on October 3.
The revised timetable is expected to provide election officials with sufficient time to complete the remaining work while maintaining the accuracy of voter records across the state.
Request Submitted by Andhra Pradesh CEO
The decision was taken after Andhra Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Vivek Yadav formally approached the Election Commission seeking additional time for the revision exercise. In his communication, he explained that more time was required to complete the collection and digitisation of voter enumeration forms received during the ongoing field verification process.
According to officials, the request was made after receiving multiple representations from political parties as well as district administrations, all of whom highlighted the need for an extension to ensure that no eligible voter information was left incomplete.
Pending Digitisation in Several Assembly Segments
While the collection and digitisation work was originally expected to conclude by July 14, election authorities reported that the process had not been fully completed in every constituency. Around 5 to 10 per cent of the voter enumeration forms were still awaiting digitisation in several Assembly segments, making it difficult to finalise the draft electoral rolls within the earlier deadline.
Election officials noted that completing this remaining work is essential before preparing the draft voter list, as incomplete records could affect the accuracy of electoral data.
Political Parties and District Officials Back Extension
In his letter to the Election Commission, Vivek Yadav also referred to requests submitted by various political parties and District Election Officers seeking additional time for the revision exercise. These representations reportedly stressed the importance of allowing field teams to finish verification and documentation without rushing the process.
The Chief Electoral Officer is understood to have enclosed these requests along with his own recommendation, presenting a consolidated case for extending the schedule.
Commission Approves Additional Time
After examining the proposal and the reasons cited by the state election authorities, the Election Commission approved the request for a 10-day extension. The decision enables officials to complete both the enumeration and digitisation of voter records before the draft electoral roll is published later this month.
The Special Intensive Revision is a key exercise carried out to update electoral rolls by including eligible voters, removing ineligible entries, and correcting existing records wherever necessary. Election authorities have maintained that the additional time will help improve the quality and completeness of voter data ahead of the next stages of the revision process.