New Delhi: Amid nationwide protests seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, the Election Commission of India on Saturday moved to address complaints and allegations over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, announcing a raft of urgent measures but stopping short of acknowledging any lapses.
The measures, announced at a meeting attended by CEC Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, seek to address each complaint and allegation raised over the process. The urgent intervention comes even as Opposition parties have stepped up efforts to initiate proceedings against Gyanesh Kumar.
Affidavit requirement scrapped for Form 6
The Election Commission will soon launch a special campaign in states, including Kerala, where the SIR has been completed, to enrol those left out of the electoral rolls. Those excluded from the rolls, as well as new voters, can apply to Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) for inclusion.
Applicants seeking to add their names to the rolls in states where the SIR has been completed will henceforth only need to submit Form 6 along with the required supporting documents. They will no longer have to furnish details linked to the previous SIR in the form. Election Commissioners Vivek Joshi and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu had earlier questioned the changes made to Form 6. The EC, however, also maintained that the existing form would continue to be used in states where the SIR is underway and that the process had the approval of the Supreme Court.
In states where the SIR is currently underway, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will visit the homes of people who have been issued notices over various discrepancies and collect the required documents. They will not be required to appear for hearings.
In the rare cases where a hearing is considered necessary, an adult family member can appear on behalf of the person concerned if he or she is unable to attend in person. The Commission will also strengthen online hearings. Help desks and special camps will be set up for homeless people, those living in labour camps and night shelters and the poor.
The deadline for filing objections to the SIR has also been extended in Delhi and Maharashtra.
Meeting agendas to be made public, portal oversight panel set up
Meanwhile, the EC has moved to make its internal functioning more transparent, deciding to disclose meeting agendas in advance and record the minutes. The step follows reports that the two Election Commissioners had noted on file that they were not being informed of meeting agendas and decisions. These measures are consequently being seen as an acknowledgement of the lapse.
In a press release, the EC also said Electoral Registration Officers were authorised to make changes to electoral rolls through the ECI Net system. The clarification comes in response to allegations that the authority to make such changes had been centralised with the IT division at the Commission headquarters following the launch of the new portal.
The Commission will also constitute a committee comprising a Senior Deputy Election Commissioner and experts from IITs and IIITs to examine the functioning of the portal and ensure compliance with the Registration of Electors Rules and the Representation of the People Act. The committee will scrutinise any proposed changes to the portal or its IT modules before they are implemented.
