TDP seeks procedural clarity, safeguards against wrongful deletions in electoral roll management

The Hindu

3 days ago

The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has submitted a detailed representation to the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday, proposing a series of reforms aimed at strengthening electoral roll management and enhancing transparency in the democratic process.
Making a significant reference to the upcoming Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the party emphasised the need for procedural clarity, safeguards against wrongful deletions, and respect for prior voter inclusion.
The TDP leaders also suggested that the SIR process should be conducted with sufficient lead time, ideally not within six months of any major election, to ensure confidence and administrative preparedness.
Stressing that the exercise should not be conflated with citizenship verification, the party has sought early initiation of the SIR in Andhra Pradesh.
In a meeting convened by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar with all parties, TDP Lok Sabha floor leader Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu highlighted Andhra Pradesh's exemplary voter turnout of 81.86% in the 2024 general elections, far exceeding the national average of 65.79%.
He urged the ECI to ensure this democratic momentum continues through timely, inclusive, and tech-driven voter roll revisions.
In the meeting, TDP leaders, including the party's Andhra Pradesh unit president Palla Srinivasa Rao and MPs participated.
Key suggestions by TDP The TDP has suggested that the SIR should be conducted with sufficient lead time, ideally not within six months of any major election, to ensure administrative preparedness
Annual third-party audits under the supervision of CAG to identify anomalies in electoral rolls
Use AI-driven tools for de-duplication, migration and deceased entries real time
A time-bound grievance redressal mechanism at BLOs or EROs
Standardise door numbers nationwide to strengthen electoral roll verification
The other key suggestions of the party include annual third-party audits under the supervision of Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India to identify anomalies in electoral rolls, use Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven tools for de-duplication, migration and deceased entries in real time, ensure a time bound grievance redressal mechanism at the Block Level Officers (BLOs) or Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and standardise door numbers nationwide as a policy measure to strengthen electoral roll verification.
The TDP also suggested that Aadhaar-based EPIC number verification would help in removing duplication and replace the ink-based verification process with a biometric verification process.
Participation of Parties
The TDP suggested that the ECI should mandatorily involve Booth Level Agents (BLAs) from all recognised parties throughout the revision process and make pre-publication sharing of draft rolls with BLAs compulsory to enable real-time verification.
The district-wise data on voter additions and deletions should be published with explanations on the ECI portal and a real-time public dashboard for tracking voter grievances and their resolution should be set up, the TDP leaders said.
Legal Reforms and Accountability
The TDP has also called for stricter accountability of election officials. It suggested to enforce statutory timelines and penalties for inaction or misconduct by EROs or District Election Officers (DEOs), empower the State election watch committees to function with observer status during roll revision, mandatory rotation of Block Level Officers (BLOs)/Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to prevent local influence or partisan misuse and appoint a State-level Ombudsman under ECI to handle unresolved political grievances related to the electoral rolls.
It has also suggested the ECI to conduct targeted re-enrollment campaigns for migrant workers, tribal groups, elderly people, and homeless citizens, and permit temporary address declarations with basic documentation to prevent disenfranchisement of mobile populations.