Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding the Special Intensive Revision, or SIR, of electoral rolls, the Election Commission has decided to conduct a special drive across 20 states. The purpose of the campaign is to identify eligible voters whose names were left out or could not be included in the final electoral rolls during the revision process. The campaign will also focus on registering first-time voters and other newly eligible citizens.
According to the directions issued by the Election Commission, the special drive will be conducted in areas where the electoral roll revision process has already been completed. State Chief Electoral Officers have been directed to identify areas where eligible voters may have been left out of the electoral rolls and ensure that such voters are contacted through the local election machinery.
Booth Level Officers, or BLOs, have been given an important role in the campaign. They have been instructed to compare the current electoral rolls with the rolls that existed before the SIR process. Through this comparison, officials will identify voters whose names were present in the earlier electoral rolls but do not appear in the final rolls.
Once such voters are identified, BLOs will conduct door-to-door verification. The Election Commission has set a target for BLOs to cover around 20 to 25 voters every week. The verification process is expected to be completed within approximately one month under the special campaign.
The drive will not be limited to voters whose names may have been left out during the revision process. The Election Commission has also directed officials to focus on young people who have become eligible to vote for the first time, along with other eligible citizens who are yet to be registered.
BLOs will be able to collect Form 6 applications from eligible voters at the time of verification. Form 6 is used for applying for inclusion of a person's name in the electoral roll. This is expected to make the registration process easier for eligible citizens who have not yet been included in the voter list.
The Election Commission has also issued directions aimed at maintaining transparency during the special campaign. Information regarding the voters identified through the exercise will be shared with Booth Level Agents, or BLAs, of recognised political parties. This will allow the concerned parties to remain informed about changes and additions being made to the electoral rolls.
The decision to conduct the special drive comes at a time when the SIR process has become the subject of political and public debate. Questions have been raised over the removal or exclusion of names from electoral rolls during the revision exercise. The Election Commission, however, has maintained that decisions related to the SIR process were taken according to the prescribed procedure and that all decisions were taken unanimously.
The latest campaign is therefore focused on identifying eligible voters who may have been left out of the final electoral rolls and providing them an opportunity to get their names included. The process will involve comparison of old and current electoral records, field verification and collection of applications from eligible voters.
BLOs will play a key role in implementing the campaign at the local level. Their responsibilities will include identifying voters, visiting their homes for verification, collecting applications from eligible citizens and ensuring that the relevant information is processed according to the prescribed procedure.
The special drive will also provide an opportunity for newly eligible young voters to enter the electoral system. By focusing on both voters who may have been left out and those becoming eligible for the first time, the Election Commission aims to update electoral records in the identified areas.
Once the verification and application process is completed, the relevant electoral records will be processed according to the applicable rules. The campaign is expected to provide a mechanism through which eligible voters who were left out during the SIR exercise can seek inclusion in the electoral rolls.
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