1 week ago
Badarpur Sends Notices to 44% of Electors During SIR
Election officials are checking voter lists in Badarpur.
Some voters received notices because their information did not match the older 2002 voter list or because their forms had problems.
About 87,000 people, or 44% of voters there, were reportedly served notices.
Booth Level Officers are meeting people at polling stations or at their homes.
Voters can show documents to prove their identity and correct information.
The Booth Level Officer uploads the documents, but a senior election officer makes the final decision.
Some residents said the process was confusing and took too much time.
Officials said many people in Badarpur rent homes and move often, which makes older voter records harder to match.
The checks are intended to decide which names should remain on the electoral rolls.
Around 87,000 electors in Delhi’s Badarpur constituency are receiving notices during the Special Intensive Revision exercise.
Notices were issued because details could not be linked to the 2002 electoral roll or because enumeration forms contained discrepancies.
Booth Level Officers are holding hearings at polling stations and electors’ homes to reduce travel to election offices.
Badarpur had 3.44 lakh electors before the exercise; 1.98 lakh names appeared in the August 31 draft rolls, while 1.46 lakh forms were marked ‘uncollectible’.
Officials attributed the high number of notices and deletions partly to frequent movement among renters in unauthorised colonies near the Faridabad border.
- Who
- Around 87,000 electors in Badarpur are affected, while Booth Level Officers, Electoral Registration Officers and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers are handling the verification process.
- What
- Election officials are conducting hearings and checking documents during Delhi’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.
- Where
- Hearings are being held at polling stations, electors’ homes and voter registration centres in Badarpur, Southeast Delhi.
- When
- The hearings were taking place on Monday during the ongoing revision; the draft rolls were published on August 31.
- Why
- Officials said notices were needed when voter details could not be linked to the 2002 electoral roll or when enumeration forms contained discrepancies.
Officials’ justification
Residents’ concerns
Need for verification
Officials’ justification
Election officials said notices help verify eligibility and correct discrepancies before names are finalised on the electoral rolls.
Residents’ concerns
Some residents questioned why long-time voters had to prove their details again, especially when they had voted for many years.
Convenience of local hearings
Officials’ justification
Officials said hearings at polling stations and homes spare electors the inconvenience of travelling to an electoral office.
Residents’ concerns
Residents said the process was confusing because they were repeatedly asked for different documents and had to spend time arranging photocopies.
Reasons for deletions and notices
Officials’ justification
Local officials attributed the high numbers partly to frequent movement among renters and settlements that did not exist in 2002.
Residents’ concerns
Residents viewed the notices as burdensome and said the requirements should have been explained clearly in a single communication.
Key facts
- Affected electors
- Around 87,000, or 44% of Badarpur’s electors, were being served notices.
- Pre-revision electorate
- Badarpur had 3.44 lakh electors before the SIR exercise.
- Draft-roll names
- 1.98 lakh names appeared in the draft rolls published on August 31.
- Uncollectible forms
- Enumeration forms for 1.46 lakh electors were marked ‘uncollectible’ and their names were struck off.
- BLO workload
- BLO Sumit Bhati was assigned 1,000 electors and had conducted 36 hearings by about 2:30 p.m. Monday.
- Final approval
- BLOs upload submitted documents, but final approval is granted by the Electoral Registration Officer.
- Common discrepancy
- Officials cited issues such as mismatched name spellings and missing links to the 2002 electoral roll.
Quotes
A source in the Electoral Registration Officer’s office
An unnamed source in the local Electoral Registration Officer’s office
“If all 87,000 electors, who get notices, have to come to the electoral office, it will be inconvenient for them. So they can submit their documents to the BLO, either at their own house or at their polling station, and the BLO will upload those in the portal. But the final approval will be granted by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO)”
indianexpress.com
“These issues can be easily solved … the elector just has to give us an undertaking about the correct name”
indianexpress.com
Bachan Singh
A 57-year-old Badarpur elector who received a hearing notice
“Kuchh nahi, bas logo ko pareshan karne ka tarika hai (This is nothing but a way to trouble people)”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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