SIR Left-Out Voters Get Fresh Chance in 7 States; Ramesh Cites U-Turn

The Election Commission of India on Friday, 6 November, told the Chief Electoral Officers of Delhi, Maharashtra, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Telangana and Nagaland to give voters marked “ASDD” (absent, shifted, dead or duplicate) in the Special Intensive Revision another chance to get into the final electoral rolls, according to reports by Business Standard and ANI. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh responded the same day, saying the order is an admission that names were wrongly removed and repeating his demand that the SIR be halted and Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar removed.

How Left-Out Voters Can Apply Again

Booth-wise lists of electors whose enumeration forms were not returned will be displayed at polling stations, panchayat bhawans, urban local body offices and block offices, and uploaded to the CEOs’ websites, with the probable reason for each omission. Booth Level Officers, along with Booth Level Agents of political parties, are to visit homes, and officers will also try WhatsApp, email and SMS, Business Standard reported.

A voter who has not moved can submit a signed form with a statement explaining why it was not returned earlier, in person or through a family member, or online on the ECINET app with an e-sign. A voter who has shifted within the same state needs no Form 8; a form with the new address, the new Assembly Constituency and address proof goes to the Electoral Registration Officer of the new constituency or the Booth Level Officer of the new booth. For homeless voters, a Booth Level Officer’s field verification report is accepted as proof of residence. Forms will be examined under Rule 21(1) of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, and accepted ones kept aside for the final rolls. The reports do not give a last date for submitting forms.

Also read Jairam Ramesh Calls EC’s Form 6 Clarification “Word Games”

Ramesh Calls It a U-Turn

“Better late than never, this is an acknowledgment that names were wrongly removed,” Ramesh said in a post on X, according to ANI. He added: “With each new day, another U-turn by the BJP comes to light,” and “SIR is nothing but a new form of vote theft.” Ramesh said the process had put the voting rights of “over 130 million Indians” at risk. These are his claims; the Commission’s order does not say names were wrongly removed.

A Month of Disputes Over the Rolls

The order comes after weeks of opposition protests over deletions. The INDIA bloc held a rally at Ramlila Maidan on 1 November, and IPB has reported on the speeches by Kharge, Tejashwi Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav and Left leaders, on the Supreme Court’s hearing on the Commission’s Form 6 clarification set for 19 November, and on 2.29 crore fewer electors in five states. More coverage is collected under the SIR tag.

Final Rolls Still to Come

Voters in the seven states and UTs should check the displayed lists at their polling station or the CEO website. The Commission has not said, in the reports available, how many electors fall in the ASDD category in each state. The Form 6 hearing in the Supreme Court on 19 November is the next fixed date.

Source: Based on reporting by Business Standard and ANI. The Election Commission’s letter to the CEOs could not be found online; searched eci.gov.in.

Image: Wikimedia Commons.