The EC did not respond to a request for comment on when the new category was rolled out and what kinds of electors are covered in it.In the ongoing third round of the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls so far, over 84,000 electors have been deleted in two states and one UT for “other” reasons — a separate category that was not mentioned in the first two phases of the exercise. The EC did not respond to a request for comment on when the new category was rolled out and what kinds of electors are covered in it.On May 14, the EC had announced the third phase of the SIR, to be conducted in 16 states and three UTs in stages until December this year. As per the EC schedule, draft rolls of Odisha, Mizoram, Sikkim, Manipur, Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu, and Uttarakhand were published in the first two weeks of July.The press notes released by the state/ UT Chief Electoral Officers show the draft electoral rolls saw a 7% decrease overall, with 32.08 lakh names being removed. While most of those deleted have been categorised as deceased, shifted/ absent or enrolled at multiple places, a new category has been mentioned in Odisha, Uttarakhand and Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu — “others”. Uttarakhand CEO BVRC Purushottam told The Indian Express the “others” category was rolled out in the third phase of the SIR through the BLO app, which is the EC’s central app used by BLOs to process enumeration forms. “These are the electors who refused to submit or sign their enumeration forms,” the CEO said.l In a press note on July 14, the Uttarakhand CEO said that 71.33 lakh electors had made it to draft roll, or 89.51% of the pre-SIR electors. Of those deleted, 4.77 lakh were found to have shifted, 1.56 lakh absent, 1.24 lakh deceased, and 69,231 were listed as “others” (other reasons).l In Odisha, the CEO’s press note, on July 5, said that 3.13 crore electors, or 93.97% of the pre-SIR electorate, had filled the enumeration forms and thus made it to the draft roll, while 8.32 lakh were found “deceased”, 10.07 lakh “shifted/ absent”, 1.58 lakh “enrolled at multiple places in the electoral roll”, and 14,000 of the deleted were in the “others” category.l The UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu also had 1,106 electors deleted in the “others” category, as per its CEO’s press note on July 10.The reason for the deletion gains significance as the EC maintains that genuine electors who have been deleted in the draft roll can be added back to the final roll during the one-month claims and objections period. The deletions followed a one-month enumeration phase in which the EC’s BLOs were to go house-to-house to verify the status of all electors and get enumeration forms filled by them. Those who were found to have died, shifted, absent or enrolled elsewhere were marked as such by the BLOs and deleted in the draft roll.Story continues below this adWhile the “other” category was not used in the first phase of the SIR, which was rolled out by the EC in Bihar in June 2025, it was mentioned as a part of a different category in two UTs in the second phase that covered nine states and three UTs from October 2025. One of the categories under which Puducherry and Lakshadweep had labelled deleted voters in their draft rolls published in December last year was “shifted/ absent/ others”. This time, Manipur has also used this category in its draft roll.Damini Nath is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. She covers the housing and urban affairs and Election Commission beats. She has 11 years of experience as a reporter and sub-editor. Before joining The Indian Express in 2022, she was a reporter with The Hindu’s national bureau covering culture, social justice, housing and urban affairs and the Election Commission. Expertise Key Coverage Areas: Damini Nath currently specializes in reporting on two crucial beats: Housing and Urban Affairs: Providing in-depth analysis and reporting on India's urban development, policy, and housing issues. Election Commission (EC): Offering authoritative coverage of electoral processes, policies, and the functioning of India's constitutional body responsible for conducting elections. Professional Background: Her extensive experience includes roles as a reporter and sub-editor, demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the journalistic process from fieldwork to final production. Previous Role: Before joining The Indian Express in 2022, she served as a dedicated reporter with The Hindu’s national bureau, where her reporting portfolio included: Culture Social Justice Housing and Urban Affairs The Election Commission beat (a consistent area of focus). Trustworthiness Damini Nath's decade-plus career at two of India's most respected and authoritative news institutions, The Indian Express and The Hindu, underscores her commitment to factual, impartial, and high-quality reporting, establishing her as a trusted and credible source for news on urban governance and electoral matters. ... Read More Tags:Election Commission