The Election Commission has given another opportunity to certain voters whose names were not included in the draft electoral rolls during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

The decision applies to Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana and Nagaland. It covers electors who were issued Enumeration Forms but whose names were left out of the draft rolls after being marked under the ASDD categories — Absent, Shifted, Dead or Duplicate.

The move is aimed at ensuring that eligible voters get an opportunity to have their cases considered before the final electoral rolls are published. The EC has also directed officials to prevent duplicate enrolments while ensuring that eligible electors are not left out.

Lists of excluded voters to be displayed again

The Election Commission has directed officials to display booth-wise lists of voters falling under the specified categories again at the concerned polling stations.

The lists will also be made available at panchayat bhawans and urban local body offices and uploaded on the websites of the respective Chief Electoral Officers. They will mention the probable reasons why the voters’ names were not included in the draft rolls.

Fresh enumeration forms for affected voters

District election officials and Electoral Registration Officers have been asked to generate partially filled Enumeration Forms afresh through the ECINET system.

Booth Level Officers will be tasked with contacting the affected voters and helping ensure that the forms reach them. This can include physical delivery as well as communication through WhatsApp, email or SMS where contact details are available.

Voters can also download and fill their forms through the Election Commission’s website or ECINET using the same EPIC number that existed before their names were deleted from the draft roll.

What voters who have shifted need to do

The EC has made separate provisions for voters who have shifted their residence within the same state.

Such electors will not need to submit Form 8 for this process. They can submit the Enumeration Form along with a statement giving their new address and Assembly constituency, along with proof of address.

For homeless voters who do not have address documents, the Election Commission has provided for a field verification report by the Booth Level Officer to establish residence.

Forms will be verified before inclusion

The fresh submissions will not automatically result in inclusion in the electoral roll. The applications will be examined by the concerned Electoral Registration Officers under Rule 21(1) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.

Forms accepted after verification will be kept separately for inclusion in the final electoral rolls under the SIR exercise.

The Election Commission has also directed state and Delhi election officials to establish monitoring mechanisms to oversee the implementation of the process and ensure that eligible electors get the opportunity to seek inclusion while duplicate entries are prevented.

The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has imposed Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR with immediate effect as air quality deteriorated ahead of Diwali.

The decision was taken as a precautionary measure after Delhi’s average Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 382 on Friday, placing the national capital in the “Very Poor” category. 

GRAP 3 comes into effect across NCR

The CAQM’s Sub-Committee on GRAP decided to invoke Stage III across the entire National Capital Region.

GRAP is an emergency response framework under which pollution-control measures become progressively stricter as air quality deteriorates. The four stages correspond to different levels of air pollution, with “Poor” covering AQI levels of 201-300, “Very Poor” 301-400, “Severe” 401-450 and “Severe Plus” above 450.

The Stage III decision comes less than two days before Diwali, when authorities are particularly concerned about a further deterioration in air quality.

Pollution levels remain a concern

Delhi’s average AQI of 382 indicates that pollution levels have remained high across the capital. The move to GRAP Stage III is intended to prevent further deterioration in air quality across Delhi-NCR.

The latest decision follows earlier pollution-control measures implemented under the revised GRAP framework as air quality worsened in the region. 

What GRAP means for Delhi-NCR

The GRAP framework provides for increasingly stringent measures as pollution levels rise. Stage III brings stricter restrictions than the earlier stages, particularly in areas linked to dust and emissions.

The latest CAQM decision applies across Delhi-NCR with immediate effect. Details of the measures to be enforced under the newly invoked Stage III should be followed through official directions issued by the authorities.

The development comes amid heightened concern over air pollution in the national capital region ahead of Diwali.

Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah are set to meet a group of party legislators who have raised concerns following the recent expansion of the Union Territory’s Council of Ministers.

The meeting is scheduled in Srinagar on Friday as the party leadership attempts to address grievances raised by several NC MLAs. Reports indicate that the legislators had met separately ahead of their interaction with the Abdullahs to finalise the issues they wanted to raise. 

The developments come days after Omar Abdullah expanded his Cabinet, inducting four new ministers and dropping Independent MLA Satish Sharma from the Council of Ministers. The reshuffle has led to discontent among sections of the ruling National Conference, particularly among legislators who were not included in the new ministerial team. 

What the NC MLAs want

The legislators have raised concerns about the functioning of the party and government, including the need for greater authority for elected representatives, stronger party organisation at the grassroots level and better implementation of commitments made to voters.

Some members of the group have also demanded changes involving ministers and the Chief Minister’s advisor Nasir Aslam Wani. Earlier reports said the legislators had prepared a memorandum outlining their grievances and demands. 

The group has stressed that its concerns are aimed at strengthening the party rather than destabilising the government. One legislator described the focus as improving the party’s functioning at the grassroots level and ensuring that MLAs are empowered to address public grievances.

Cabinet expansion triggered tensions

The latest discontent followed Omar Abdullah’s Cabinet expansion, under which four new ministers were inducted. They include Ali Mohammad Sagar, Mir Saifullah, Shamima Firdous and Altaf Ahmad Kaloo. Independent MLA Satish Sharma was dropped from the Council of Ministers. 

The Cabinet changes had already prompted concerns among some senior legislators over ministerial representation and the functioning of the party organisation. The disagreement has since developed into a broader discussion about the role and empowerment of elected representatives.

The meeting with Farooq and Omar Abdullah is therefore significant as the party leadership seeks to engage directly with the legislators and address their concerns.