Disquiet within, all three Election Commissioners meet, take first steps, Pg1

Key Highlights:

• The Election Commission of India (ECI) addressed concerns raised by two Election Commissioners regarding the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and internal functioning.
• Electors issued notices for "logical discrepancies" or being "unmapped" during the SIR will no longer require in-person hearings; Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will collect documents at their homes.
• The declaration added to Form 6 for new voter enrolment, which was a point of contention, will revert to its original format after the SIR period.
• A committee, including an independent expert, will be formed to review the ECINet portal to ensure compliance with legal provisions.
• The ECI confirmed that agendas for commission meetings will be circulated in advance, minutes issued, and Annual Performance Appraisal Reports (APARs) completed on time.

Detailed Insights:

• The decisions were made in the first meeting of the full ECI comprising Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukkhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, following reports of internal disagreements.
• The exemption from in-person hearings for voters with "logical discrepancies" or "unmapped" status aims to alleviate burden on lakhs of electors who received system-generated notices during the SIR.
• "Unmapped" voters are those whose names were not in previous rolls and could not provide parent/grandparent details, while "logical discrepancies" are system-flagged issues requiring additional proof.
• The controversial declaration in Form 6, which required applicants to state if their name or that of their parents/grandparents was on previous rolls, was added without amendment to the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
• The ECI clarified that the letter from the two Commissioners to the Cabinet Secretary was related to an officer's conduct, not policy or IT matters, and work redistribution orders were not implemented.
• The SIR is a nationwide exercise to verify and revise electoral rolls, ensuring accuracy by removing ineligible entries and including eligible citizens, and its legitimacy has been upheld by the Supreme Court.
• For those left out of the SIR, including young and first-time voters, a special drive will be launched for continuous updation and enrolment.
• The ECINet is a comprehensive digital platform launched by the ECI to facilitate citizen engagement and participation in the electoral process, integrating various election-related services.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Election Commission of India (ECI): An autonomous constitutional body responsible for administering election processes in India.
• Special Intensive Revision (SIR): A systematic, phased process by the ECI to update and purify electoral rolls through house-to-house verification.
• Electoral Rolls: Lists of eligible voters for a particular constituency, crucial for conducting elections.
• Form 6: The statutory application form used by Indian citizens to apply for inclusion of their name in the electoral roll.
• Registration of Electors Rules, 1960: Rules framed under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, providing the procedural framework for electoral roll preparation and revision.
• ECINet: A digital platform launched by the ECI to provide a unified portal for all election-related information and services.