Camps for Voter Enrolment to Begin Today, Deleted Voters Remain

Hyderabad: Election officials will hold special camps at all polling stations across Telangana on October 15 and 16 to facilitate the submission of Form 6 by voters whose names were deleted during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

However, confusion persists among voters who were previously enrolled but have been asked to apply afresh for inclusion in the electoral rolls.

Officials have maintained that Form 6 is the prescribed procedure for enrolling voters whose names do not appear in the draft electoral rolls.

However, voters whose names were deleted have raised concerns over their previous voting history and the requirement to submit a declaration meant for new voters.

Several voters have complained that their names were missing from the draft electoral rolls despite submitting enumeration forms to their local booth-level officers (BLOs).

Md Faizan Ali, a student from Karimnagar who voted in previous elections, said his name was deleted during the SIR exercise despite submitting his enumeration form and receiving an acknowledgement.

“Despite filling an enumeration form and receiving acknowledgement, my name is deleted.

After the submission of representation to the Election Commission of India and the District Electoral Officer to restore the vote, they are asking me to submit Form-6.

People like me are suffering because of administrative errors and forcing me to file a wrong declaration as a new voter,” lamented Ali, hailing from Karimnagar.

More than 73 lakh voters' names were deleted in Telangana during the SIR exercise.

The state had 3.38 crore registered voters before the revision began.

In Hyderabad district, 19.41 lakh voters were recorded under the absent, shifted, dead and duplicate (ASDD) category.

Civil society groups have questioned the requirement for previously registered voters to submit Form 6 along with a declaration applicable to first-time voters.

Retired Osmania University professor Padmaja Shaw argued that the existing declaration could create legal complications for voters seeking restoration of their names.

“Declaring as a new voter is a punishable offence.

Knowingly applying this is an illegal declaration.

The voters are deliberately pushed into doing this citing there is no other provision, besides form-6 for restoring vote,” she argued.

Activist S.Q. Masood, however, said voters whose names were deleted should use the available procedure to secure their inclusion in the final electoral rolls, while the Election Commission addresses concerns over the declaration.

“The ECI has said on several occasions that the only option for inclusion in the electoral roll is through Form 6, whether it is a new voter or a wrongly deleted voter.

It is an open fact that the declaration required for first-time voters needs immediate attention and modification by the Commission.

At the same time, we should not ignore the fact that people should not suffer due to the non-inclusion of their names.

They should submit Form 6 to get their names enrolled, as there is no other way for inclusion,” he noted.

The special camps are intended to facilitate applications for inclusion in the final electoral rolls, even as concerns remain over the declaration required from previously registered voters.