EC Orders Special Drive for Voters Left Out After SIR
The Election Commission has ordered a special enrolment drive in states where the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls has been completed, directing officials to identify eligible voters who were left out and facilitate their re-enrolment.
EC Orders Drive for Voters Left Out After SIR
Booth Level Officers have been instructed to compare current electoral rolls with pre-SIR lists and identify voters whose names appeared earlier but are missing from the revised rolls.
BLOs will then conduct house-to-house visits to verify their present status and help eligible electors submit enrolment applications. The Commission has asked officials to complete the exercise within about a month.
The drive will also cover first-time and young voters who remain unregistered.
Form 6 Use Raises Fresh Legal Questions
The Election Commission has directed officials to use Form 6 for eligible voters seeking re-enrolment.
However, former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi has questioned the legality of requiring previously registered voters to use a form that includes a declaration stating that the applicant is seeking inclusion in the electoral roll for the first time.
The Goa bench of the Bombay High Court has also raised concerns over cases in which existing voters were treated as new applicants because of limitations in the ECINET system.
Political Parties to Receive Booth-Wise Lists
Once the exercise is completed, booth-wise lists of identified voters will be shared with representatives of political parties so they can assist eligible electors who remain outside the rolls.
The Commission has maintained that voter enrolment is a continuous process and said the objective of the special drive is to ensure that no eligible citizen remains disenfranchised because of exclusion during the SIR process.
