**Summary:**
This policy statement, released by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) Delhi on August 16, 2025, at 8:04 PM, emphasizes the Election Commission of India's (ECI) commitment to transparent and accurate electoral roll preparation. The policy outlines a decentralized, multi-layered process where Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) at the SDM level, with the assistance of Booth Level Officers (BLOs), are responsible for preparing and finalizing electoral rolls.
Key aspects of the policy include:
* **Transparency and Access:** Draft electoral rolls are shared digitally and physically with all political parties and are accessible on the ECI website.
* **Claims and Objections Period:** A one-month period is provided after the publication of the draft rolls for electors and political parties to file claims and objections.
* **Post-Publication Review:** Final electoral rolls are again shared with political parties and published online.
* **Appeals Process:** A two-tiered appeals process is available following the final publication, with the first appeal directed to the District Magistrate (DM) and the second to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of each State/UT.
* **Stakeholder Responsibility:** The ECI underscores the importance of political parties and their Booth Level Agents (BLAs) actively examining the electoral rolls during the designated period for claims and objections.
* **Continuous Improvement:** The ECI welcomes ongoing scrutiny of electoral rolls to identify and rectify errors, reinforcing its commitment to pure and accurate electoral rolls.
The release addresses recent concerns raised by political parties and individuals regarding errors in electoral rolls, emphasizing that the appropriate time to address such issues is during the Claims and Objections period.
Release ID: 2157210
Key Entities Referenced
Election Commission: The central authority responsible for conducting elections in India and issuing guidelines for electoral processes.
Parliament: The legislative body of the Union government of India.
Assembly elections in India: Elections held to elect members of the State Legislative Assemblies.
Electoral Registration Officers EROs: SDM-level officers responsible for preparing and finalizing the Electoral Rolls.
Electoral Rolls ER: The official list of eligible voters for a particular constituency.
Booth Level Officers BLOs: Officials who assist the EROs in preparing and updating the Electoral Rolls at the local level.
District Magistrate DM: An administrative officer at the district level who hears appeals related to the Electoral Roll.
CEO of every StateUT: The Chief Electoral Officer of each State or Union Territory, who hears second appeals related to the Electoral Roll.
Election Commission
Pure Elector Rolls strengthen democracy
Political Parties involved at each stage of preparation
of Electoral Roll
Appropriate time and opportunity given to Electors
and Political Parties to rectify errors, if any
Posted On: 16 AUG 2025 8:04PM by PIB Delhi
1. The Election system for Parliament and Assembly elections in India is a multi-layered decentralised
construct as envisaged by law.
2. Based on the guidelines issued by the Election Commission, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs),
who are SDM-level officers, prepare and finalise the Electoral Rolls (ER) with the help of Booth Level
Officers (BLOs). EROs and BLOs undertake the responsibility for the correctness of Electoral Rolls.
3. After the publication of the draft Electoral Rolls, digital and physical copies of the same are shared with
all political parties and put on the ECI website for anyone to see. Following the publication of the draft
ER, a full one-month period is available with the Electors and Political Parties for the filing of Claims
and Objections before the final ER is published.
4. After the publication of the final ER, digital and physical copies are again shared with all the recognised
Political Parties and published on the ECI website.
5. Following the publication of the final ER, a two-tiered process of appeals is available wherein the first
appeal maybe preferred with the District Magistrate (DM) and the second appeal with the CEO of every
State/UT.
6. Utmost transparency is the hallmark of Electoral Roll preparation as per law, rules and guidelines.
7. It seems that some political parties and their Booth Level Agents (BLAs) did not examine the Electoral
Rolls at the appropriate time and did not point out errors, if any, to SDMs/EROs, DEOs or CEOs.
8. Recently, some Political Parties and individuals are raising issues about errors in Electoral Rolls,
including the Electoral Rolls prepared in the past.
9. The appropriate time to raise any issue with the Electoral Rolls would have been during the Claims and
Objections period of that phase, which is precisely the objective behind sharing the Electoral Rolls with
all Political Parties and the Candidates. Had these issues been raised at the right time through the right
channels, it would have enabled the concerned SDM / EROs to correct the mistakes, if genuine, before
those elections.
10. ECI continues to welcome the scrutiny of Electoral Rolls by Political Parties and any Elector. It will
help SDMs/EROs to remove the errors and purify the Electoral Rolls which has always been the
objective of ECI.
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PK/GDH/RP(Release ID: 2157210)