Assam CEO Issues Guidelines for Shifted Voters After Final Roll Publication

In the wake of recent displacement in Assam due to administrative actions, the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Assam, issued fresh instructions to ensure that eligible voters who were marked as “permanently shifted” but could not apply for relocation during the Special Revision (SR) 2026 are allowed to regularise their enrolment.

The state CEO’s office clarified that since only one form can be processed during a revision cycle, some electors were unable to submit applications for shifting. An official order dated February 5 stated that an elector may file an appeal under Section 24 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, within the prescribed period to the District Election Officer against deletion of his or her name, or submit a Form 6 before the Electoral Registration Officer for inclusion of the name in the electoral roll during summary revision or continuous updation.

Accordingly, the Commission has directed that such applicants should submit Form 6 applications after publication of the final electoral roll. To ensure that no ineligible elector is included and all eligible electors are correctly enrolled, the ECI has requested the implementation of additional scrutiny for Form 6 applications filed after February 10 (Tuesday).

Scope And Eligibility

The instructions apply to individuals who were previously enrolled but have recently shifted to a new place of ordinary residence. It also covers electors who were deleted from their previous polling station during the last revision cycle, specifically during the claims and objections period from December 27, 2025, to February 4, 2026, on grounds of permanent shifting.

Additionally, the guidelines apply to those who were unable to submit a Form 8 application because a Form 7 (objection/deletion) was already being processed against their names.

Terminology

The CEO's office clarified operational terms to avoid confusion. The “Receiving District” refers to the district where the applicant currently resides and has submitted the application for new inclusion. The “Verifying District” is the district where the applicant was previously enrolled and where records need to be verified.

Application Process

Applicants must submit a properly filled Form 6, either offline or through the online portal-voters.eci.gov.in.

Both online and offline applications must include a copy of the previously issued EPIC card, along with all standard documents required for a new enrolment under Form 6.

The Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) where the application is submitted will issue a notice for a hearing. During the hearing, the applicant must appear in person and provide details of previous enrolment, including district, Assembly Constituency, EPIC number and previous Polling Station name or number, if available.

Applicants must also submit details of any formal statement recorded under para 8.5 of the Manual on Electoral Roll, if applicable, along with valid identification proof, preferably Aadhaar.

Verification Procedure

The CEO has emphasised that all standard eligibility conditions, including proof of ordinary residence in the Receiving District, must be satisfied. The additional scrutiny is intended as an extra layer of verification and not as a substitute for existing requirements.

Under inter-district coordination, the Receiving District will forward previous enrolment details to the Verifying District for confirmation.
The Verifying District will cross-check details using the “Forms Tracking” tab under the “Processed Forms Tracking” module for the period from December 27, 2025, to February 10, 2026, filtering for Form 7 cases.

As part of evidence sharing, the Verifying District must capture a screenshot of the verification results and share the corresponding Excel file with the Receiving District.

Final Disposal

The Receiving District will review the documents and verification inputs received from the Verifying District before disposing of the Form 6 application in accordance with the law.

The fresh guidelines aim to streamline enrolment for genuinely shifted voters while ensuring strict compliance with electoral rules and preventing wrongful inclusion in the voter list.