4 hrs ago
Election Commission Opens Voter Enrolment Drive After SIR
The Election Commission has started a new way for eligible people to join voter lists in places where a voter-list review is finished.
People can apply using Form 6 without an extra paper that was used during the review.
Officials have been told to help people whose names were left off the lists.
In Goa, 81 of 97 people identified have already applied.
West Bengal has shared a list of people whose names were left out and says they can apply online or ask a local election officer for help.
Former election chief S.Y. Quraishi says Form 6 is meant for people voting for the first time, so he questions using it to restore names.
Opposition parties are also protesting the voter-list review and asking for more transparency.
The final number of voters in the remaining 12 states and Union Territories will come after their rolls are published.
The Election Commission has begun a special enrolment drive in 20 states and Union Territories where the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is complete.
Eligible applicants in those areas can use the regular Form 6 without the additional declaration required during SIR.
The Commission directed election officials to help eligible people left off the rolls, including those listed as Absent, Shifted, Dead or Deleted (ASDD).
Goa officials report that 81 of 97 voters identified as left out have submitted Form 6; West Bengal has published its ASDD list and is accepting applications online or through Booth Level Officers.
Former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi argues Form 6 is intended for first-time voters and questions its use to restore deleted names, while opposition parties are protesting the SIR process and seeking greater transparency.
- Who
- The Election Commission and election officials, with eligible voters left off electoral rolls as applicants.
- What
- A special drive to enrol eligible voters in places where SIR is complete, using regular Form 6 without the additional SIR declaration.
- Where
- Across 20 states and Union Territories where SIR has been completed, including Goa and West Bengal.
- When
- The drive began after completion of SIR in 20 states and Union Territories; no specific start date is stated.
- Why
- To provide a route for eligible voters left off the rolls to seek inclusion.
Critics and opposition
Election Commission and officials
Use of Form 6 for voters left off rolls
Critics and opposition
Former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Quraishi says Form 6 is for first-time voters and argues that using it to restore deleted voters could be improper; he suggests a separate form could be created.
Election Commission and officials
The Election Commission has directed officials to facilitate inclusion of eligible voters left off the rolls through the regular forms during the non-SIR period, and says the additional declaration applies where SIR is underway.
SIR and electoral-roll transparency
Critics and opposition
Opposition parties and other groups have raised concerns about eligible voters being excluded and are protesting the SIR process, demanding greater transparency and restoration of names.
Election Commission and officials
The Commission is conducting an administrative enrolment drive for eligible electors left out after SIR; the article reports no specific Commission response to all opposition demands.
Key facts
- Areas covered
- 20 states and Union Territories where SIR has been completed
- Application form
- Regular Form 6, without the additional SIR declaration
- ASDD meaning
- Absent, Shifted, Dead or Deleted
- Goa applications
- 81 of 97 identified voters have submitted Form 6 applications
- West Bengal options
- Apply online or through a Booth Level Officer
- Remaining Phase III areas
- Final elector figures for the remaining 12 states and Union Territories will be available after final publication of rolls
Quotes
West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer's office
The office of West Bengal's Chief Electoral Officer.
“Form 6 is for new, first-time voters. The very first sentence says that I have not been a voter before. It is not meant for the restoration of deleted voters. If they want to add these voters, they should create a new form, which can be done by the Law Ministry. If the new order is that the deletions were wrong, they can create a special form.”
NDTV
“Doing it using Form 6 would be tantamount to being illegal, as there is a declaration that says everything stated above is true. Saying that a voter has not voted when they have would be a violation.”
NDTV
Sources
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