New Delhi, Oct. 16 -- The Election Commission has announced that political parties will receive machine-readable electoral rolls in readable PDF format for the first time, following longstanding opposition demands for greater transparency amid allegations of large-scale voter deletions. The poll body has directed officials to provide draft and final rolls, without photographs, in both hard and soft copies, along with supplements detailing additions, deletions and modifications. The decision comes as the annual special summary revision of electoral rolls begins in 17 states and Union territories, with final lists scheduled for publication on January 4.

The revised provisions will allow electoral registration officers to supply alphabetically arranged voter lists through pen drives and other electronic storage devices for a fee, instead of restricting distribution to CDs or DVDs. Officials will also share weekly lists of claims and objections alongside the previous week's printed records. Candidates in poll-bound states will receive draft and final rolls, which will also be available for purchase by others before elections.

The Congress criticised the decision, calling it a delayed reversal. Party general secretary K C Venugopal said on X, "Too little, too late," adding that machine-readable voter lists had been demanded since 2025.

Addressing Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, Venugopal said, "Transparency is the bare minimum, not something that absolves you of past crimes." He alleged that 13 crore Indians had been disenfranchised through "vote chori" and called for electoral reforms, including reversing the special intensive revision and changing the EC's appointment process.

The Commission also urged people turning 18 on or before January 1 to enrol as voters ahead of assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur and Punjab, expected early next year. Assam underwent a special revision instead of the intensive exercise for legal reasons.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.