Sikkim Electoral Roll Revision Identifies 20,000 Voters For Deletion

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Sikkim is progressing on schedule, with election authorities having distributed nearly all Enumeration Forms and digitised more than 84 per cent of the electorate's records, Chief Election Officer (CEO) Raj Yadav said on Monday.

CEO Yadav said the revision exercise, which began on May 28, has so far achieved 99.68 per cent distribution of Enumeration Forms across the State. A total of 4,69,512 Enumeration Forms (EFs) have been distributed to electors, while 3,96,326 forms, representing 84.14 per cent of the electorate, have already been collected, verified and digitised.

The CEO said June 28 will be the final date for submission of Enumeration Forms.

Electors who fail to submit their forms by the deadline risk exclusion from the draft electoral roll, which is scheduled to be published on July 5. The draft roll will thereafter be shared with recognised political parties and the media before the claims and objections process begins.

Yadav said all six districts remain on track to complete the digitisation exercise within the stipulated timeline. As of June 22, a total of 52,764 Enumeration Forms remained to be digitised across the State. To meet the June 28 deadline, election officials are required to digitise a minimum of 8,794 forms per day over the remaining six days.

However, the pace of work has substantially exceeded the required target. In the previous 24 hours alone, Booth Level Officers digitised or marked as uncollectable 29,135 Enumeration Forms, resulting in a State-wide surplus of 20,341 forms over the daily requirement.

District-wise figures show that Gangtok has the highest number of pending forms at 22,898, followed by Namchi with 10,817 and Pakyong with 10,528. Soreng has 3,893 pending forms, Gyalshing 3,084 and Mangan 1,544.

Despite these pending numbers, all six districts have been classified as "On Track" by the Election Department. Namchi digitised 9,283 forms in the previous 24 hours against a required daily target of 1,803 forms, while Gangtok digitised 6,760 forms against a target of 3,816. Pakyong processed 5,645 forms against a target of 1,755, Soreng digitised 2,328 forms against a target of 649, Gyalshing digitised 3,598 forms against a target of 514 and Mangan digitised 1,521 forms against a target of 257.

While the overall progress remains satisfactory, constituency-wise data released by the Election Department reveals significant variations in the pace of verification. Urban constituencies continue to lag behind the State average, largely due to the presence of a floating population.

As of June 20, Arithang Assembly Constituency recorded the lowest verification rate in the State at 50.11 per cent, followed by Gangtok at 53.18 per cent, Khamdong-Singtam at 57.38 per cent, Namchi-Singhithang at 58.12 per cent and West Pendam at 61.40 per cent. Upper Tadong stood at 61.74 per cent, while Yangthang had reached 63.83 per cent.

Explaining the lower collection rates in urban areas, Yadav said many residents are unavailable during house-to-house visits, while a significant number of migrant workers continue to remain enrolled in their home States.

"Many people are not available during house-to-house visits. Some individuals have shifted here for work but continue to retain their voter registration in their home States. Since an elector can only be enrolled at one place, many are not opting to register here," he said.

In contrast, rural constituencies have shown stronger participation in the revision exercise. Maneybong-Dentam leads the State with 87.26 per cent verification of Enumeration Forms, followed by Rinchenpong at 83.40 per cent, Daramdin at 82.68 per cent, Rangang-Yangang at 80.13 per cent and Dzongu at 79.62 per cent.

Lachen-Mangan has also recorded 75.83 per cent verification despite its remote location.

Providing details of electors whose Enumeration Forms could not be collected, Yadav said 21,928 electors, representing 4.66 per cent of the electorate, have been categorised as uncollectable and are likely to face deletion from the electoral rolls after due verification.

Of these, 8,832 electors or 1.88 per cent of the electorate have been reported deceased. Another 2,470 electors or 0.52 per cent were found to be untraceable or absent. A total of 9,004 electors or 1.91 per cent have permanently shifted from their registered addresses, while 1,530 electors or 0.32 per cent were found to be already enrolled elsewhere. A further 92 electors, representing 0.02 per cent of the electorate, fall under other categories.

Yadav said the figures are based on field verification conducted by Booth Level Officers and interactions with family members and local residents. He added that the number may increase further as verification of the remaining uncollected forms continues until the June 28 deadline.

The CEO clarified that electors whose names are proposed for deletion will still have an opportunity to establish their eligibility during the claims and objections period after publication of the draft electoral roll.

"If a genuine voter was unable to submit documents during the revision period, he or she can submit Form 6 along with supporting documents during the claims and objections stage. After verification, the name can be included in the final electoral roll," he said.

Yadav also highlighted that electors can submit their Enumeration Forms online through the Election Commission's voter services portal in addition to the door-to-door process being carried out by Booth Level Officers.

Responding to questions regarding reports of individuals impersonating election officials, Yadav said no such complaints have been officially received so far. He noted that the Election Department had already issued public advisories cautioning electors against possible impersonation attempts.