SIR Begins In 5 Places Tuesday, Amid Concerns Over Passport Denial To Journalist
Ahead of the SIR, the electoral officials of these held states and the Union Territory of Delhi held meetings with Booth Level Agents of political parties, and mapped existing voters with their enrolment in the previous SIR lists
New Delhi: Amid controversy of deleted names during Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and alleged denial of passport, ration cards etc, the month-long exercise for the roll revision in Delhi, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Karnataka, Maharashtra begins on Tuesday. During this period the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will conduct house-to-house verification of voters, add new names and delete those who have moved out of the state or have died. The exercise will also see rationalisation of polling stations. The draft list will be published on August 5 and the final list will be published on October 7.
Ahead of the SIR, the electoral officials of these held states and the Union Territory of Delhi held meetings with Booth Level Agents of political parties, and mapped existing voters with their enrolment in the previous SIR lists. For Delhi, Karnataka and Maharashtra the reference point is the 2002 SIR list, while for Jharkhand it is 2003, and Meghalaya it is 2005. Delhi has 1.45 crore voters, Karnataka has 5.55 crore, Maharashtra has 9.86 crore, Jharkhand 2.64 crore and Meghalaya about 23 lakh.
Ahead of the exercise in Karnataka, state’s Home Minister Mr Priyank Kharge questioned the whole process of deleting voters adding no one should not be removed without due legal process. The minister said the state Cabinet had submitted eight objections to the Chief Election Commissioner and sought clarity on issues such as 'logical discrepancy', legal notices, speaking orders and access to tribunals before deleting names from the electoral rolls.
"We are not saying that the SIR should not be conducted. Voter roll revision is compulsory, and it is the right of the Election Commission. More importantly, it is their responsibility to provide a clean and accurate voter list," Mr Kharge told reporters.
"You (ECI) cannot deprive a person of their voting rights merely because of a spelling mistake," he said. He added that the party wanted the Election Commission to answer its queries before commencing the exercise. Mr Kharge said the Congress would continue its public awareness campaign while also exploring legal options.
His statement comes in the backdrop of senior journalist and former editor of The Telegraph Mr Rajagopal Ramadas allegedly denied passport renewal after his name was deleted from the electoral roll during the SIR in West Bengal.
On Monday, the chief minister of Kerala, Mr V. D. Satheesan wrote to the West Bengal CM Mr Suvendu Adhikari while the CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP Mr John Brittas shot off a letter to External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar seeking intervention in this case adding the incident raises a larger constitutional concern. Mr Brittas emphasised that this issue extends beyond a single individual and raises important questions about how decisions related to electoral rolls can affect rights defined under a separate statutory framework.
As for the SIR, Delhi Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Mr Ashok Kumar said over 13,000 BLOs will conduct verification exercise in the national capital. Mr Kumar said his office has sought guidance on how to deal with the voters whose houses were recently demolished in the anti-encroachment drive in Delhi.
Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer Mr K. Ravi Kumar has announced that the majority of state’s voters will not be required to submit documents and the Election Commission will verify voters primarily through its existing database.
In Meghalaya special attention is being given in the state's tribal areas to family linkages and lineage documents to prevent bogus entries while safeguarding legitimate voters.
During the SIR, the BLOs will provide each voter with two copies of the enumeration form to fill out their details as per the last SIR in 2002. One of the forms will be kept as an acknowledgement, while the other will be returned to the BLO. Voters can also submit their enumeration form details online. Each BLO will make at least three visits to any house found locked during the door-to-door survey.
The door-to-door survey will conclude on July 29, and the draft electoral roll will be published on August 5. After that, claims and objections can be filed by the voters and political parties from August 5 to September 4. The CEO's office will issue notices to voters if needed and will address claims and objections from August 5 to October 3. The final electoral roll will be published on October 7.