ECI Rejects Opposition Charge On Electoral Rolls

New Delhi:Responding to allegations made by Opposition parties, including the Congress, regarding discrepancies in electoral rolls, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday said, “It seems some political parties and their Booth Level Agents (BLAs) did not examine the Electoral Rolls at the appropriate time and did not point out errors, if any, to SDMs/EROs, DEOs or CEOs.”

In a statement, the ECI clarified that Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), who are SDM-level officers, prepare and finalise the Electoral Rolls with the help of Booth Level Officers (BLOs).

“EROs and BLOs are responsible for the correctness of the rolls. After the publication of the draft Electoral Rolls, digital and physical copies are shared with all political parties and put on the ECI website for public access. A full one-month period is available for electors and political parties to file claims and objections before the final rolls are published. Once finalised, the rolls are again shared with all recognised political parties and uploaded on the website. A two-tier appeal process is also available, first with the District Magistrate and second with the CEO of every State/UT. Utmost transparency is the hallmark of Electoral Roll preparation as per law, rules and guidelines.”

The Commission noted that some parties and individuals were now raising issues about errors in electoral rolls, including those prepared in earlier phases.

“The appropriate time to raise such issues is during the Claims and Objections period, which is precisely why the draft rolls are shared with all political parties and candidates. Had the issues been raised at that stage, the concerned SDMs/EROs could have corrected genuine errors before elections. The ECI continues to welcome scrutiny of the electoral rolls by political parties and electors, as it helps in removing errors and purifying the rolls, which has always been our objective,” the statement said.