Ranchi:  The fifth BLO-BLA2 meeting and fifth Electoral Literacy Session (Chunav Pathshala) will be organised at all polling stations across Jharkhand on November 4, from 11 am to 1 pm, to ensure wider participation of stakeholders in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Jharkhand, K. Ravi Kumar, said that the BLO-BLA2 meetings and Electoral Literacy Sessions provide an important platform for continuous auditing of the SIR process and ensuring transparency.

 Representatives of political parties through their Booth Level Agents (BLA-2), along with members of the general public, will participate in the exercise. According to Press Release No. 171/2026 issued by the CEO's office on Tuesday, the meeting will primarily focus on two issues: reviewing cases of voters who have not completed the notice and hearing formalities despite receiving a second notice and home verification by the concerned Booth Level Officer (BLO), and identifying eligible citizens whose names are missing from the draft electoral roll or who have not submitted Form-6 despite attaining 18 years of age by October 1, 2026. 

The CEO's office stated that the SIR exercise is being conducted under Article 326 of the Constitution of India, the Representation of the People Act, 1950, the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, and the guidelines of the Election Commission of India. The notice and hearing process in cases arising from no-mapping and logical discrepancies has largely been completed. The upcoming meetings will specifically examine cases where voters have not completed the required hearing formalities, and the reasons for non-compliance will be properly recorded in the proceedings.

The meeting will examine five broad categories of cases: Absent or untraceable voters: Cases of voters who cannot be contacted or traced even after repeated notices and home verification will be discussed. If no contact can be established, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) or Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) may initiate deletion proceedings in accordance with existing legal provisions. However, voters temporarily away from their ordinary residence for education, employment or other reasons may complete hearing formalities through telephone, video calls or online communication. Family members or relatives may also submit documents on their behalf. 

Permanently shifted voters: Cases of voters who have permanently changed their residence after submitting enumeration forms will be reviewed. Details of their current Assembly constituency, where they are registered or have applied through Form-6, will be recorded. Death cases: In cases where a voter has died after submitting the enumeration form, the date of death will be recorded. BLOs will also collect death certificates from family members, wherever available, for official records. Multiple enumeration forms: Cases involving individuals who have submitted enumeration forms at more than one polling station will be examined. The proceedings will record the Assembly constituency where the concerned voter is currently registered or included in the draft electoral roll. Miscellaneous cases: This category will include voters refusing to respond to notices, individuals unable to participate in hearings due to health or mental conditions, foreign nationals legally or illegally residing in India, and refugees living in the country.

Citizenship eligibility to be examined

The CEO's office clarified that under Article 326 of the Constitution and the Representation of the People Act, 1950, only Indian citizens are eligible to register as voters. Foreign nationals residing in India, whether legally or illegally, cannot register as voters unless they acquire Indian citizenship in accordance with the law. Eligible individuals have been advised to apply for Indian citizenship through the Union Ministry of Home Affairs at www.indiancitizenshiponline.nic.in.

The guidelines also address refugees who came to India after Independence. Those who have received Indian citizenship through a certificate issued by the competent authority are eligible for voter registration. Their sons and daughters are also eligible as Indian citizens. Refugees without citizenship certificates have been advised to apply for citizenship under the applicable provisions of the Citizenship Act, 1955, including the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019, wherever eligible.

Special focus on eligible citizens missing from electoral rolls: The CEO's office has further directed that eligible Indian citizens born in India, whose parents were also born in India, but who could not complete the hearing formalities despite residing within the concerned polling station area, should be identified and their details recorded for necessary action by the ERO. A Home-to-Roll verification campaign is also underway across all polling station areas in Jharkhand to identify eligible citizens whose names are missing from the electoral rolls. During the November 4 meetings, such citizens will be encouraged and assisted in submitting Form-6 for voter registration. BLOs, EROs and AEROs have been instructed to guide eligible applicants and help them obtain the necessary documents if they are unavailable. The CEO's office said that the exercise is intended to make the SIR process more inclusive, participatory and transparent while ensuring that no eligible citizen is left out of the electoral rolls.

(Author, a senior journalist, is RE to TEW Palamu edition.)