Error-ridden draft voters' list published on July 23, alleges Opposition Leader V.D. Satheesan
Addressing a press conference here, Mr. Satheesan said the names of several voters who had exercised their franchise in the last local body elections were missing in the draft rolls.
On the other hand, the names of voters who had died three or four years ago have been included in the list, he said. There are also instances where members of the same family have been divided among different wards. Some voters even have votes in three wards, he alleged. Mr. Satheesan further alleged that officials who were tasked with the collection of voter information had meddled with the list with the aid of the regional leaders of the CPI(M).
In such a situation, it is impractical to insist that new enrollment and rectification of errors should be completed in 15 days, he said. The Commission should extend the time limit to at least 30 days, he said. Section 24 of the Panchayat Raj Act says that the voters' list should not be revised between the last date of filing nominations and the election day. Which means, there is nothing preventing enrollment up to the deadline for filing nominations, Mr. Satheesan said.
The State Election Commission had published the draft electoral rolls on July 23 ahead of its revision for the 2025 local body elections in Kerala. The Commission has given time till August 7 for the addition and removal of names and correcting mistakes.
Mr. Satheesan also reiterated the United Democratic Front (UDF)'s demand that the number of voters per polling booth should be reduced. The number of voters per booth should be revised from 1,300 to 1,100 in the panchayats and from 1,600 to 1,300 in municipalities, according to the UDF. If the commission failed to address this issue, the UDF will seek legal recourse, he said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
2 hours ago
- The Hindu
Delete caste column from appraisal forms: T.N. Police Commission
As part of several measures recommended to eradicate caste conflicts in the State and bring about uniformity in the police force, the Tamil Nadu Fifth Police Commission has called for deleting the caste/community column from the performance appraisal forms of police personnel, official sources said. The performance appraisal or Annual Confidential Report (ACR) is a crucial document that decides the professional growth of police personnel and officers in the force with regard to increments, promotions, medals, empanelment, deputation etc., In the Tamil Nadu Police, the ACR forms meant for Head Constables and Special Sub-Inspectors, who form a sizeable chunk of the 1.25 lakh force, have a reference to their caste/community. There is also a column that seeks to know their contribution in lawfully assisting the oppressed classes during their period of appraisal, the sources said. The Tamil Nadu Fifth Police Commission, headed by former Judge of the Madras High Court Justice C.T. Selvam and other senior serving and former bureaucrats, has recommended that the reference to caste/community in the appraisal forms be deleted. 'There is no need for the superior officer appraising the professional work to know the caste of the police personnel. Such references may lead to bias in awarding marks that are crucial for professional growth. The system had been in place for years with nobody objecting to the unwanted practice,' a senior IPS officer said. 'Absent in the ACR forms for other ranks' Caste references were not there in the ACR assessment of other ranks, including IPS officers. 'The practice of asking the caste of complainants and accused persons at the police station level should also be dispensed with as there is no provision to do so under law,' the officer who preferred anonymity said. While the State government is silent on implementing the report of the Commission, which submitted its final report to Chief Minister M.K. Stalin recently, the Home Department has called for several reports from the police headquarters on several issues highlighted for reforms by the panel, police sources said. 'Evolve political consensus' One of the recommendations of the Commission to curb caste problems in the State was asking the government to hold all-party meetings to evolve the political consensus to remove caste names from streets and caste markers/identifiers on village boundaries to minimise the gravity of discrimination arising out of a false sense of caste pride. Formation of Special Intelligence Cells (SIC) in all caste-sensitive districts to gather intelligence on caste-related developments that have a bearing on Law and Order was also recommended. Amid allegations of police officials from a particular community being posted in caste and communally sensitive southern districts, the Commission asked Commissioners/Superintendents of Police of all cities/districts to ensure that too many police personnel from dominant communities were not assigned to these areas 'to avoid biased reporting on events and developments.'
New Indian Express
2 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Election Commission pushes political parties for immediate appointment of BLAs ahead of SIR roll out
NEW DELHI: With the groundwork for a special voter list revision already underway, the Election Commission has directed all state election officers to write to political parties, urging them to appoint Booth Level Agents (BLAs) without further delay. The communication, described by officials as firm and urgent, signals Special Intensive Revision (SIR) to be carried in the capital soon. In a letter sent to state poll authorities, the Commission noted that the "entire exercise of SIR will be incomplete without active participation of the political parties." It emphasised appointment of their BLAs "immediately.". 'All political parties must be informed in writing and they should be persuaded for appointment of BLAs immediately, so that these BLAs are in the field during SIR,' the letter stated. The Commission has also sought immediate submission of data on polling stations, Booth Level Officers (BLOs), their supervisors, and the appointed BLAs.
NDTV
5 hours ago
- NDTV
"Voter ID Showed By You Does Not Exist": Poll Body Notice To Tejashwi Yadav
New Delhi: The Election Commission -- which has refuted Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav's claim that his name is not in the draft voter list -- has now asked him to provide details of the voter ID card he had showed at a press conference yesterday to back his claim. Staunchly denying his claim, the Commission had said the EPIC number of the ID is not "officially issued". Mr Yadav's claim had come yesterday -- a day after the Commission had published the draft electoral rolls after the hugely controversial Special Intensive Revision or SIR exercise. Today, the Commission sent him a notice, that said: "After investigation, it was found that your name is mentioned at serial number 416 of polling station number 204 (Library Building of Bihar Animal Science University), whose EPIC number is RAB0456228. According to you, as per the quote of your press conference, your EPIC number is RAB2916120." "According to preliminary investigation, EPIC number RAB2916120 does not appear to be officially issued. Therefore, you are requested to kindly provide the details of the mentioned EPIC card (along with the original copy of the card) mentioned by you in the press conference held on 02.08.2025 to the undersigned, so that it can be thoroughly investigated," the notice read. At a press conference yesterday, Mr Yadav had said the Election Commission had explained the removal of 65 lakh voters as a result of deaths and migration. "But in the list provided to us by the Election Commission, they have cleverly not given the address of any voter, no booth number, and no EPIC number, so that we cannot find out whose names have been removed from the voter list," Mr Yadav claimed. In front of cameras, he had tried to verify his own details, using his EPIC (Elector's Photo Identity Card) number -- a unique alphanumeric code printed on voter IDs -- but said the information was not on the Commission's online portal. EC sources, meanwhile, have claimed that CPI(ML) MP Sudama Prasad's wife has two EPIC. Sources have shared details of those EPIC cards. His party is a petitioner in the Supreme Court against SIR.
