'Left out' voters: EC orders special drive in 20 states where SIR over, Pg2

Key Highlights:

• The Election Commission of India (ECI) has ordered a special drive in 20 states to enroll "left out" and young/first-time eligible voters.
• This initiative follows internal dissent from Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi regarding unauthorized changes to Form 6 and centralized control of ECINet.
• The problematic question added to Form 6, which asked applicants about their parents' voter status, will be removed for this drive.
• CEOs have been instructed to compare pre-Special Summary Revision (SIR) and post-SIR rolls to identify deleted voters and conduct house visits.
• Voters served notices for discrepancies no longer need to appear for hearings in person; Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will collect documents at their homes.

Detailed Insights:

• The special drive aims to address issues of wrongful voter deletion and ensure comprehensive electoral rolls.
• Election Commissioners had objected 14 times in 10 months to decisions made without their knowledge, including changes to Form 6 and ECINet management.
• The unauthorized change to Form 6 was deemed "unauthorised/illegal" by Commissioner Sandhu, as it lacked proper amendment to the Registration of Electors Rules 1960.
• Centralized control of ECINet by the DG (IT) was criticized for restricting Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) from performing their statutory duties, as seen in the case of 97 deleted voters in Goa.
• A committee with an independent IIT/IIIT expert will review ECINet to address its limitations and improve functionality for field officers.
• Maharashtra's Chief Electoral Officer has instructed EROs not to exclude voters in haste, emphasizing the right to vote and due process.
• Special camps are scheduled on October 3, 4, 10, and 11 to facilitate voter enrollment and document collection.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Election Commission of India (ECI): An autonomous constitutional body responsible for administering election processes in India.
• Special Summary Revision (SIR): A periodic exercise conducted by the ECI to update and revise electoral rolls.
• Form 6: The application form used by eligible citizens to register as new voters or transfer their registration.
• ECINet: The software system used by the ECI for managing and preparing electoral rolls.
• Electoral Registration Officer (ERO): An officer responsible for the preparation and revision of electoral rolls for a constituency.
• Booth Level Officer (BLO): A local government official appointed by the ERO to assist in electoral roll revision and voter identification at the grassroots level.