Over 37,000 enumeration forms remain uncollected in Sikkim electoral roll revision exercise

More than 37,000 enumeration forms remained uncollected during Phase III of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the Electoral Roll in Sikkim, even as the state achieved near-universal distribution and completed digitisation of over 91 per cent of submitted forms, according to the Office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).

Official data released on Sunday, June 28 showed that 37,737 enumeration forms could not be collected, accounting for 8.01 per cent of the state’s total electorate of 4,71,018.

The CEO’s office attributed the uncollected forms to multiple factors, with permanent shifting of electors emerging as the primary reason, accounting for 14,603 cases. This was followed by deaths of electors (10,837), untraceable or absent electors (8,648), electors already enrolled elsewhere (2,396), and other reasons (1,253).

Despite the shortfall, the state recorded significant progress in the overall revision exercise conducted between May 30 and June 28, 2026, across all six districts. Enumeration forms were distributed to 99.71 per cent of eligible electors, while 4,33,242 forms were successfully digitised, resulting in zero pending digitisation.

Election authorities stated that the final status of all uncollected forms would be determined after detailed scrutiny by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs). The verification process is scheduled for completion by July 4, 2026.

District-wise data showed that Gangtok registered the highest proportion of uncollected forms at 11.65 per cent, involving 14,238 forms. It was followed by Pakyong with 7.78 per cent (6,502), Mangan with 7.2 per cent (2,325), Soreng with 6.86 per cent (4,274), Gyalshing with 6.11 per cent (3,690), and Namchi with 6.1 per cent (6,747).

The CEO’s office clarified that the completion of the enumeration phase does not end the revision process for those left out. Eligible citizens will have an opportunity to submit applications during the Claims and Objections period scheduled from July 5 to August 4, 2026.

The Final Electoral Roll is slated to be published on September 6, 2026.