look news india
The purity and transparency of the election process has always been a central issue in the Indian democratic system. These days, there is a lot of stir from political circles to the Supreme Court regarding the process of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists going on in various states of the country. Meanwhile, the Election Commission of the country (ECI) has filed an important and detailed affidavit in the Supreme Court. Through this affidavit, the Commission has assured in clear words that it is fully committed to removing all types of discrepancies, technical shortcomings and errors present in the voter list. After this clarification given in the court, there is hope of getting a big relief to those lakhs of voters whose names were missing from the recent draft lists which had created a situation of confusion.
In view of the ongoing hearing in the Supreme Court and various petitions, the Election Commission has stressed in its affidavit that the top priority of the Commission is to ensure that no eligible citizen of the country is deprived of his franchise. The Commission also told the court that practical and technical problems have been coming to light from time to time during the preparation and revision of the voter list, which the election body is continuously working to rectify. This affidavit before the Supreme Court has come at a time when questions were being raised regarding large-scale deletion of names and logical discrepancies during the SIR process in many parts of the country. The Commission has assured the Court that it is being done with utmost sensitivity at the administrative level to ensure that only those entries are modified or deleted who are actually deceased, transferred or ineligible, while the rights of any legitimate voter will remain protected.
When the final or draft voter list is released during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) campaign, it is often seen that the names of voters who have been voting regularly for years are suddenly found missing from the list. Taking cognizance of this serious issue, the Election Commission has clarified that if the name of a person who was already registered is not in the draft list, then there is no need to panic. Such citizens can get their names re-added by filling ‘Form-6’ afresh without any fear of legal action or penalty. Provided that this condition should be fulfilled that the applicant is not already registered in the voter list of any other assembly or parliamentary constituency and the declaration form submitted by him is completely in accordance with the legal provisions. This announcement of the Commission has removed the major concerns of lakhs of voters who were hesitant in applying again for fear of getting into legal trouble.
Earlier, when the issue of voters being asked to fill the form again during this process came to light, the Supreme Court had also expressed its concern over this and raised the question that why do people who are already part of the voter list have to fill the registration form again and again? Responding to this, the Election Commission presented the outline of its functioning before the court. The Commission also clarified that if a voter has changed his place of residence or address within the same state, he does not need to go through lengthy procedures again and again or fill a new form, rather he can submit the documents to the concerned returning officer of his area as per the normal procedure. Additionally, special efforts are being made to reach out to voters placed in the ‘ASDD’ (Absent, Transferred, Dead or Duplicate) category so as to retain them in the rolls while confirming the identity of genuine and living voters.
To make the electoral system modern and error-free, the Election Commission is continuously taking the help of Information Technology (IT) and digital tools. In its affidavit, the Commission has also maintained complete transparency regarding the functioning, administrative monitoring and internal management of the IT Division. The Commission said that the entire process is closely monitored by senior officials so that the scope for human error or software errors is minimized at any stage. Referring to some typographical or technical errors that have come to light recently at the local level, the Commission has also given the message that it is always working with an open mind to improve the system and welcomes criticism or suggestions.
Ultimately, this affidavit of the Election Commission confirms how serious the institutions are towards making the country’s electoral system fair, transparent and flawless. On one hand, revision and matching of lists is extremely important to prevent fake and double voting, on the other hand, protecting the voting rights of every citizen is our biggest responsibility towards the Constitution. These ongoing debates under the supervision of the Supreme Court and the positive assurances of the Commission have made it clear that in the coming times, this process of voter lists will become more error-free and people-friendly, thereby strengthening the roots of democracy.