Rationalisation and rearrangement of polling stations will be carried out on July 24, while the draft electoral roll will be published on July 31. (PTI Photo)With Haryana facing the possible exclusion of nearly 36 lakh voters as of the July 14 deadline for submission of Enumeration Forms (EFs) under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has extended the deadline by 10 days to July 24 following a request from the state’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO).Of the around 36 lakh voters yet to be cleared, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are still awaiting Enumeration Forms from nearly 2.88 lakh electors. The remaining more than 33 lakh voters have been placed in the ASDD (Absent, Shifted, Duplicate or Dead) category. The officials said the exact number of deceased voters would be known only after the ASDD category is bifurcated.Election officials are optimistic that many of the 2.88 lakh voters who have not yet submitted their forms will do so during the extended period. While they expect fewer claims from voters already categorised as ASDD, the extension has been provided to ensure that anyone wrongly classified under the category gets an opportunity to submit their Enumeration Form or establish their eligibility before July 24.Haryana Chief Electoral Officer A. Sreenivas told The Indian Express that Enumeration Forms have been received from around 1.70 crore electors, accounting for 82.38% of the state’s 2.06 crore registered voters till 6 pm on Tuesday, and all the forms received so far have been digitised.“We requested the Election Commission because people in urban areas such as Gurugram and Faridabad were still submitting Enumeration Forms. Residents, particularly those living in high-rise apartments, have continued to come forward. We did not want to rush the exercise. We want to ensure that not even a single eligible elector is left out,” Sreenivas said.The Haryana CEO wrote to the Election Commission on Tuesday seeking an extension, and the Commission approved the revised schedule later the same day.Under the revised schedule, the house-to-house verification by BLOs, which was originally scheduled from June 15 to July 14, will now continue till July 24. Rationalisation and rearrangement of polling stations will be carried out on July 24, while the draft electoral roll will be published on July 31. The period for filing claims and objections will run from July 31 to August 30, with their disposal taking place between July 31 and September 28. The final electoral roll will be published on October 3.Story continues below this adOfficials said the ASDD category includes electors who were found absent during house-to-house verification, those who have shifted from their registered addresses, duplicate entries, and deceased voters. Information regarding deceased voters has largely been obtained from their family members.In cases where BLOs delivered Enumeration Forms to a registered address but did not receive the completed forms back despite repeated visits, such electors have been provisionally categorised as “shifted”. Duplicate entries, meanwhile, are identified automatically during the digitisation process.“In the case of duplicate voters, the moment the details are entered into the system, it flags the record as a duplicate entry,” Sreenivas said.The ASDD category accounts for nearly 16.15% of Haryana’s electorate, or around 33 lakh voters. When combined with the 82.38% of electors who have already submitted their Enumeration Forms, the coverage under the SIR exercise stands at 98.60%. According to the CEO, the exercise has achieved 100% coverage in Fatehabad and Kaithal districts, while most other districts have recorded between 98% and 99% coverage. Gurugram remains an exception, with coverage at around 91%.Story continues below this adAsked whether the authorities expect more voters currently marked as “shifted” to submit their forms, Sreenivas said the administration has been directed to carry out a fresh verification of every ASDD case.“We have instructed all Deputy Commissioners that, with an additional 10 days now available and most of the exercise already completed, every entry under the ASDD category should be re-verified. BLOs have been asked to conduct enquiries in 100% of such cases,” he said.Apart from Haryana, Andhra Pradesh has also been granted a 10-day extension to complete the SIR exercise.Sukhbir Siwach's extensive and in-depth coverage of farmer agitation against three farm laws during 2020-21 drew widespread attention. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on InstagramTags:Haryana