Election Commission modifies some SIR rules after Bihar

As the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the next 12 States and Union Territories is set to be carried out according to the June 24 order issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI), certain modifications have been made to the process based on the learnings from the just concluded process in Bihar.

In a notice issued to the Chief Electoral Officers of all 12 States, the ECI said no documents were to be collected from electors during the Enumeration Phase. This was being done as it had been found in Bihar that a majority of people could be traced to the electoral rolls of previous SIR, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said.

The notice further said that for electors whose Enumeration Forms had not returned, the Booth Level Officer (BLO) may identify a probable cause, including death or duplication, based on an inquiry from nearby electors, and noting this down.

Since the Draft Electoral Rolls would only include the names of those who had submitted Enumeration Forms, booth-wise lists of electors whose names are thus not included in the Draft Roll shall be then displayed on the Notice Board of respective the Panchayat Bhavan/urban local body office, and the Offices of the Block Development Officers to enable the general public to have access to the aforesaid voters’ lists, along with the probable reasons for the non-inclusion of their names.

Aadhaar has been added as the 12th document as directed by the Supreme Court, but only as proof of identity and not of citizenship.

The ECI has also modified the Enumeration Form and Declaration Forms. Both include a column for details on whether the name of the elector and that of his parents or guardians were present in the electoral rolls when the previous SIR of a particular State was prepared.

This would mean that a majority of the voters did not have to submit any documents as those whose names or their parents’ names were present in voter lists after the previous SIR need not do so, ECI officials said.

The Electoral Registration officers will issue notice only after the publication of draft Electoral Rolls to those electors who could not be linked with the previous SIR of Electoral Rolls in order to ascertain their eligibility.

Also, unlike Bihar, the Voter Rolls of all States would be available for the mapping of the names of voters, and their parents or guardians.

In another modification to the process, fresh voter registrations would be carried out simultaneously during House to House Enumeration. The BLO will carry at least 30 blank Form 6s along with blank Declaration Forms to provide to anyone who sought to enrol as a new elector.