Gangtok: Even as Sikkim successfully concluded the Enumeration Phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the Electoral Roll with 99.71 per cent distribution of Enumeration Forms, 37,737 forms (8.01 per cent of the electorate) remained uncollected at the close of the exercise, according to a media report released by the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Sikkim.
The report attributes the majority of the uncollected forms to permanent migration, deaths and electors who could not be traced despite repeated field visits, while clarifying that non-submission of an Enumeration Form does not automatically lead to deletion from the electoral roll.
Of the 37,737 uncollected Enumeration Forms, the largest category comprised 14,603 electors who had permanently shifted, accounting for nearly 39 per cent of all pending forms. This was followed by 10,837 deceased electors, 8,648 electors who were untraceable or absent, 2,396 electors already enrolled elsewhere, and 1,253 cases categorised under other reasons.
The Chief Electoral Officer stated that these figures represent the status recorded during house-to-house verification by Booth Level Officers (BLOs). The exact status of every such elector will be determined only after scrutiny by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), which is scheduled to be completed by July 4. Any action on duplicate entries or deletions will be taken strictly under the provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 and the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
Among the six districts, Gangtok recorded the highest number as well as the highest percentage of uncollected Enumeration Forms, with 14,238 electors (11.65 per cent of the district electorate) yet to submit their forms. Namchi followed with 6,747 uncollected forms (6.10 per cent), Pakyong with 6,502 (7.78 per cent), Soreng with 4,274 (6.86 per cent), Gyalshing with 3,690 (6.11 per cent) and Mangan with 2,325 (7.20 per cent).
While the report does not provide district-wise reasons for the pending forms, it notes that statewide non-submission is primarily attributable to electors having shifted their ordinary residence, being unavailable during repeated verification visits, failing to submit Enumeration Forms within the prescribed period, expressing unwillingness to continue as electors for personal reasons, or falling under other circumstances specified in the Election Commission of India’s SIR guidelines.
Despite these pending cases, the State recorded near-universal coverage during the revision exercise. Out of 4,71,018 registered electors, 4,69,673 Enumeration Forms (99.71 per cent) were distributed across Sikkim. A total of 4,33,242 forms, representing 91.98 per cent of the electorate, have been digitised, with election authorities reporting zero pending digitisation. The report further states that 4,33,221 forms have already been verified by Booth Level Officers.
District-wise verification figures show Gangtok with 1,07,995 verified forms, Namchi with 1,03,899, Pakyong with 76,600, Soreng with 58,002, Gyalshing with 56,745 and Mangan with 29,980.
The revision exercise covered all 572 polling stations in the State and involved an election machinery comprising 6 District Election Officers, 32 Electoral Registration Officers, 37 regular Assistant Electoral Registration Officers along with 48 additional AEROs, 72 Booth Level Supervisors, 623 Booth Level Officers (572 regular and 51 additional), and 895 Booth Level Agents.
With field enumeration and digitisation now complete, district election authorities are carrying out reconciliation, scrutiny and quality checks before publication of the Draft Electoral Roll on July 5.
As part of the next phase, Booth Level Officer–Booth Level Agent meetings will be held on June 29 and 30, during which the Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate (ASDD) lists will be shared for verification and discussion. Booth Level Agents will assist in verifying electors whose forms have not been received, locating missing electors, examining reported deceased electors, verifying shifted and duplicate entries, and resolving discrepancies before publication of the draft roll. The ASDD lists will also be displayed outside polling stations to facilitate public scrutiny.
A meeting of recognised political parties, chaired by the Chief Electoral Officer, is scheduled for July 5, when the Draft Electoral Roll will be formally handed over. Political parties will also be briefed on the revision methodology, proposed additions, deletions and corrections, the statutory claims and objections process, and transparency measures adopted during the exercise.
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Following publication of the Draft Electoral Roll on July 5, the statutory Claims and Objections period will remain open until August 4, allowing eligible citizens to seek inclusion of names, correction of particulars, deletion of ineligible entries, transposition within constituencies, correction of EPIC details and photographs, and other permissible changes. The notice period and disposal of claims will continue until September 2, after which the Final Electoral Roll will be published on September 6, 2026.
The Chief Electoral Officer reiterated that publication of the Draft Electoral Roll does not mark the end of the enrolment process. Eligible citizens whose names are absent from the draft roll, who attained the qualifying age, shifted residence, were temporarily absent during enumeration, or could not submit their Enumeration Forms within the prescribed period will have the opportunity to apply during the Claims and Objections period. Continuous updation of the electoral roll will also remain available after publication of the Final Electoral Roll in accordance with Election Commission of India guidelines.
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