- One of the most eagerly awaited occurrences in the context of Indian democracy is the free, fair, and peaceful conduct of the elections. As we know, the Election Commission of India (ECI) is tasked with conducting various elections in the country, enfranchising citizens to elect their representatives. The process undertaken by the ECI is humongous in the most populated country in the world. However, due credit should accrue to the ECI for conducting several monumental elections with elan, thereby garnering widespread appreciation and recognition within the country and overseas as well. The constitutionally mandated institution of ECI has delivered time and again, ensuring the democratic process is upheld diligently.
PC: The New Indian Express
- However, the timing and manner of undertaking the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar, especially with the assembly elections due in a few months, has raised several pertinent questions. Uneven application of document rules across the state reported risks of disenfranchisement. Here, clarity is needed and fast at that. Earlier, the ECI clarified that poll officials can rely on field inquiry during SIR. It said the 11 documents listed were neither indicative nor exhaustive. That has always been the norm for updating electoral rolls. So, the initial insistence on birth certificates was out of the institution’s character. The leniency eased some of the anxiety on the ground, where documentation is rare.
PC: India Today
- Now we have a situation no less worrisome. Uneven application of what documents are kosher in some Bihar districts bordering Nepal and Bengal, residents are harried as Aadhaar is not being accepted, although in Patna and Begusaria, BLOs and volunteers have accepted the same. This is patently unfair. As reported, over 2L applicants queued up in Kishanganj district for residential certificates, risking disenfranchisement in these districts. SC, hearing petitions challenging EC’s nationwide exercise, last week urged the commission to consider including ration cards, Aadhaar, and voter cards (EPIC) to verify voters. It also asked ECI why it was getting into the citizenship issue in the special revision, since it was MHA’s domain.
PC: SabrangIndia
ECI’s tight schedule just ahead of elections has contributed to voter distress. Had the SIR exercise started where no elections are due, both poll officials and ordinary residents would have ample time to verify and rationalize voter rolls. It would be instructive also to know from state election commissions (SEC) and ECI, the proportion of bloat suspected in various states’ voter rolls, presumably, a tech-savvy Karnataka will fare better than, say, Bihar in updating digitized rolls. Bihar SEC and ECI need to recognize that uneven application of rules risks disenfranchising tens of thousands. SC has held that Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship, but it is proof of residency. Disenfranchisement is not on, you see. Democracy must be upheld.
 exercise in Bihar has created significant concerns about voter disenfranchisement due to uneven application of document verification rules across different districts, with some areas rejecting Aadhaar cards while others accept them. The Supreme Court has intervened, questioning why the ECI is dealing with citizenship verification issues and urging the commission to accept documents like ration cards and Aadhaar for voter verification to prevent tens of thousands from being disenfranchised ahead of upcoming assembly elections.){kind=link}