- The endeavour initiated by the Election Commission of India (ECI) vis-à-vis the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls across the country has garnered greater attention in the last few months courtesy of the Congress party’s incessant accusations against the move. As you know, coming close on the heels of the SIR undertaken in Bihar, where allegations of exclusions dominated during the state assembly campaigning, but had no impact on the electorate voting in greater numbers. The NDA, led by the BJP, stormed with greater numbers to form the government in Bihar. The ECI has since announced to undertake SIR in several states and UTs to ensure the electoral rolls are revised before the crucial assembly elections in a few states.
PC: National Herald
- Make no mistake, the SIR repurposed by the ECI should ensure none of the genuine voters are excluded from the electoral rolls during the enumeration. The allegations and counter-allegations eschewed by the political class must be duly addressed, to solely offer a reasonable timeline and opportunities for the people to enroll their names in the ongoing process. As such, the Election Commission should have empathy for those incorrectly excluded from voter rolls in some states, like West Bengal, and others. As reported recently, almost 8% of Bengal’s voter roll as of January 2025 has been excluded from the new draft rolls following the SIR. Lists uploaded include those dead, duplicate, permanently shifted, absent, and/or uncollectable.
- Further, two reasons for the removal of over 58L such names are politically charged – first, dead voters’ names are allegedly used for proxy voting, and second, party claims/counterclaims that non-citizens have found their way into voter rolls. The Desi catchphrase ‘baap ka naam’ invoked either in jest or from privilege has become too real an issue to be laughed off. Election staff on the ground have struggled to square various spellings and different names for the same voter – if in one voter list it’s dad’s ‘dak naam’ (a Bengali fixation with nicknames), in another it is his actual name. Is it being criminal, or just being desi? Mind you, similar issues ailed Bihar’s SIR. Uneven and inaccurate documentation in very large numbers was detected. How though?
PC: The Hindu
- Primarily, acquired through the third party/vendors, once called touts, and the common knowledge that Aadhaar, although flawed, is all that matters, made the task of progeny mapping stressful. West Bengal is a sensitive state with illegal migrants dotting the vast swathe of landscape. The political parties will bat for these vote banks that suit them best. Also, there’s too short a time for the restoration of names incorrectly removed. Seasonal migrants, especially those who work in hospitality, are away and cannot afford to miss workdays; most travel in groups from neighbouring regions. That is a fact of migration. The ECI is advised to exhibit humane touch and sensitivity towards addressing the matter by providing an extended timeline.
