Latest news with #ElectoralRoll
Indian Express
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Starting with Bihar, fresh electoral rolls: Proof of birth date for those not in 2003 list
Paving the way for a nationwide exercise, the Election Commission announced Tuesday a 'special intensive revision' of the electoral roll in poll-bound Bihar, where all existing electors who were not on the rolls in 2003 will have to again provide documentation proving their eligibility. The enumeration form will require those electors born before July 1, 1987 to provide a document establishing date and/or place of birth. Apart from that, for those born between July 1, 1987 and December 2, 2004, a date of birth and/or place proof of the mother or father will be required and for those born after December 2, 2004, date of birth proof and/or place of both parents will be needed. These categories, EC sources said, have been devised in line with the Citizenship Act, 1955. In its order issued Tuesday, the EC said it was empowered by the Representation of the People Act, 1950 to direct a special intensive revision of the electoral rolls 'including preparation of electoral rolls afresh'. As per the order, the EC had exercised this power 13 times before – from 1952-56 to 2004. 'Therefore, the Commission has now decided to begin the Special Intensive Revision in the entire country for the discharge of its constitutional mandate to protect the integrity of the electoral rolls; However, since the General Elections to the Legislative Assembly in the State of Bihar is expected in later part of this year, hence the Commission has decided to conduct Special Intensive Revision in the State of Bihar,' it said. The EC order said the last intensive revision in Bihar was in 2003, with the qualifying date of January 1, 2003. For the upcoming exercise, the Electoral Registration Officers in Bihar would take that as 'probative evidence of eligibility, including presumption of citizenship unless they receive any other input otherwise. Any person whose name is not recorded in the 2003 Electoral Roll for the purpose of registration in the electoral roll is required to submit from amongst a wide range of eligible government documents as prescribed for establishing their eligibility to be an elector.' As per the instructions issued by the EC to the Bihar Chief Electoral Officer, the process will start from Wednesday, ending with the publication of the draft roll on August 1, followed by a month for filing claims and objections till September 1. The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on September 30. According to the EC, all electors will be required to submit a pre-filled enumeration form with required documents either to the respective Booth Level Officers or upload the same onto the EC's app. The EC issued the instructions to Bihar authorities Tuesday, with the objective that all eligible citizens are enrolled in the electoral roll, no ineligible person is included and there is complete transparency in the deletion and addition of electors, the EC said in a statement. 'The last intensive revision for Bihar was conducted by the Commission in the year 2003. Various reasons such as rapid urbanisation, frequent migration, young citizens becoming eligible to vote, non-reporting of deaths and inclusion of the names of foreign illegal immigrants have necessitated the conduct of an intensive revision so as to ensure integrity and preparation of error-free electoral rolls. The BLOs shall be conducting house-to-house survey for verification during the process of this intensive revision,' the EC said. It said the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) do verify that the electors being enrolled are eligible as per Section 23 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. But, now the EC was introducing a new measure – uploading the documents submitted by the electors, for instance as address proof, on the ECI's app ECINET. 'Now, to ensure complete transparency, it would be necessary that the documents on the basis of which such satisfaction of ERO is arrived at, are also uploaded in ECINET as the current level of technology enables so. However, these documents shall be accessible to authorised election officials only keeping in view the privacy issues. In case of any claims and objections raised by any political party or an elector, the AERO would inquire into the same before EROs satisfaction is arrived at. Under Section 24 of the Act, an appeal against the order of ERO can also be made to the District Magistrate and the Chief Electoral Officer,' the EC said. This move comes at a time when the commission is facing questions from the Opposition, including recently from Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, regarding the purity of the electoral roll in some states. 'While all efforts shall be made by the Election Commission of India that the revision process is carried out in a smooth manner causing minimum inconvenience to the electors, ECI shall be seeking active involvement of all political parties in the process by appointing their Booth Level Agents (BLAs) in all polling booths. The active participation of BLAs would ensure that discrepancies, if any, are resolved at the preparation stage itself, thereby reducing the instances of filing claims, objections and appeals,' the EC said. As per the instructions issued by the EC, the EROs will print out pre-filled enumeration forms for all existing electors as on the date of the order. The BLOs will then take these forms and distribute them to the electors through home visits. The forms will also be available on the ECI website and ECINET app. The BLOs will help the electors fill the forms and collect the completed forms, along with required documents, it said. The electors can also upload the filled forms and documents online. 'Draft Electoral Roll to be prepared of all electors whose EF (enumeration form) have been received,' it said. As of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Bihar had 7.72 crore registered electors. The EC instructions state that the BLO will have to make at least three visits to collect the filled forms and that any deletion should not be done without conducting the statutory inquiry. EC sources, however, said that the electors whose forms are not received in the prescribed time frame will be deleted from the draft roll. They will have the opportunity to file an appeal. Meanwhile, the EC issued another set of instructions to states Tuesday, changing the protocol for dealing with the EVMs and VVPATs in which the votes cast during the pre-polling mock poll is somehow not deleted or the slips not removed. So far, such machines were set aside and not counted if the margin of victory of the winning candidate was more than the number of votes. This, EC sources, led to a mismatch between the total votes polled and votes counted. Now, the EC has instructed CEOs to keep such machines aside and count them on a separate table. The mock poll votes as recorded in the mock poll certificate would be subtracted to arrive at the candidate-wise count for these machines as well. The presiding officer and polling officer of the polling station concerned will face disciplinary action if the mock poll is not erased from the control unit of the EVM or VVPAT slips of the mock poll are not removed, the EC said. Damini Nath is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. She covers the housing and urban affairs and Election Commission beats. She has 11 years of experience as a reporter and sub-editor. Before joining The Indian Express in 2022, she was a reporter with The Hindu's national bureau covering culture, social justice, housing and urban affairs and the Election Commission. ... Read More
India.com
11 hours ago
- Politics
- India.com
ECI To Conduct Special Intensive Revision Of Electoral Rolls In Bihar
The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday issued instructions for holding a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar, in accordance with the schedule and guidelines prescribed by the Commission. In an official statement, the poll body said that the objective of an intensified revision is to ensure that the names of all eligible citizens are included in the Electoral Roll (ER) to enable them to exercise their franchise, no ineligible voter is included in the electoral rolls and also to introduce complete transparency in the process of addition or deletion of electors in the electoral rolls. The last intensive revision for Bihar was conducted by the Commission in 2003. Various reasons, such as rapid urbanisation, frequent migration, young citizens becoming eligible to vote, non-reporting of deaths and inclusion of the names of foreign illegal immigrants, have necessitated the conduct of an intensive revision so as to ensure integrity and preparation of error-free electoral rolls. The Booth Level Officers (BLOs) shall be conducting a house-to-house survey for verification during the process of this intensive revision, the statement said. While conducting the special revision, the ECI shall be scrupulously adhering to the Constitutional and legal provisions regarding eligibility to be registered as a voter and disqualifications for registration in an electoral roll which are clearly laid down in Article 326 of the Constitution of India and Section 16 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 respectively, it added. "In accordance with Section 23 of the Representation of People Act 1950, the eligibility conditions to enrol as an elector were already being verified by the ERO to his satisfaction. Now, to ensure complete transparency, it would be necessary that the documents on the basis of which such satisfaction of ERO is arrived at, are also uploaded in ECINET as the current level of technology enables so. However, these documents shall be accessible to authorised election officials, keeping in view the privacy issues. In case of any claims and objections raised by any political party or an elector, the AERO would inquire into the same before EROs satisfaction is arrived at. Under Section 24 of the Act, an appeal against the order of ERO can also be made to the District Magistrate and the Chief Electoral Officer," the statement added. The statement added that CEOs/DEOs/EROs/BLOs have been directed to ensure that genuine electors, particularly old, sick, Persons with Disabilities (PwD), poor, and other vulnerable groups, are not harassed and are facilitated to the extent possible, including through the deployment of volunteers. "While all efforts shall be made by the Election Commission of India that the revision process is carried out in a smooth manner, causing minimum inconvenience to the electors, ECI shall be seeking active involvement of all political parties in the process by appointing their Booth Level Agents (BLAs) in all polling booths. The active participation of BLAs would ensure that discrepancies, if any, are resolved at the preparation stage itself, thereby reducing the instances of filing claims, objections and appeals. It may be underscored that both the electors and the political parties, are the most important stakeholders in any electoral process and it is only with their full participation that an exercise of such magnitude can be conducted smoothly and successfully," it added.
India Gazette
12 hours ago
- Politics
- India Gazette
ECI to conduct Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls in Bihar
New Delhi [India], June 24 (ANI): The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Tuesday issued instructions for holding a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar, in accordance with the schedule and guidelines prescribed by the Commission. In an official statement, the poll body said that the objective of an intensified revision is to ensure that the names of all eligible citizens are included in the Electoral Roll (ER) to enable them to exercise their franchise, no ineligible voter is included in the electoral rolls and also to introduce complete transparency in the process of addition or deletion of electors in the electoral rolls. The last intensive revision for Bihar was conducted by the Commission in 2003. Various reasons, such as rapid urbanisation, frequent migration, young citizens becoming eligible to vote, non-reporting of deaths and inclusion of the names of foreign illegal immigrants, have necessitated the conduct of an intensive revision so as to ensure integrity and preparation of error-free electoral rolls. The Booth Level Officers (BLOs) shall be conducting a house-to-house survey for verification during the process of this intensive revision, the statement said. While conducting the special revision, the ECI shall be scrupulously adhering to the Constitutional and legal provisions regarding eligibility to be registered as a voter and disqualifications for registration in an electoral roll which are clearly laid down in Article 326 of the Constitution of India and Section 16 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 respectively, it added. 'In accordance with Section 23 of the Representation of People Act 1950, the eligibility conditions to enrol as an elector were already being verified by the ERO to his satisfaction. Now, to ensure complete transparency, it would be necessary that the documents on the basis of which such satisfaction of ERO is arrived at, are also uploaded in ECINET as the current level of technology enables so. However, these documents shall be accessible to authorised election officials, keeping in view the privacy issues. In case of any claims and objections raised by any political party or an elector, the AERO would inquire into the same before EROs satisfaction is arrived at. Under Section 24 of the Act, an appeal against the order of ERO can also be made to the District Magistrate and the Chief Electoral Officer,' the statement added. The statement added that CEOs/DEOs/EROs/BLOs have been directed to ensure that genuine electors, particularly old, sick, Persons with Disabilities (PwD), poor, and other vulnerable groups, are not harassed and are facilitated to the extent possible, including through the deployment of volunteers. 'While all efforts shall be made by the Election Commission of India that the revision process is carried out in a smooth manner, causing minimum inconvenience to the electors, ECI shall be seeking active involvement of all political parties in the process by appointing their Booth Level Agents (BLAs) in all polling booths. The active participation of BLAs would ensure that discrepancies, if any, are resolved at the preparation stage itself, thereby reducing the instances of filing claims, objections and appeals. It may be underscored that both the electors and the political parties, are the most important stakeholders in any electoral process and it is only with their full participation that an exercise of such magnitude can be conducted smoothly and successfully,' it added. (ANI)
United News of India
14 hours ago
- Politics
- United News of India
Election Commission to begin Special Intensive Revision of Bihar Electoral Rolls
New Delhi, June 24 (UNI) The Election Commission today issued instructions for holding Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar to ensure that names of all eligible citizens are included in the Electoral Roll (ER). The eastern state is likely to hold Assembly polls in October-November this year. The last intensive revision for Bihar was conducted in 2003. Various reasons like rapid urbanisation, frequent migration, young citizens becoming eligible to vote, non-reporting of deaths and inclusion of the names of foreign illegal immigrants have necessitated the conduct of an intensive revision to ensure integrity and preparation of error-free electoral rolls. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) shall be conducting house-to- house survey for verification during the process of this intensive revision. In accordance with Section 23 of the Representation of People Act 1950, the eligibility conditions to enrol as an elector were already being verified by the ERO. Now, to ensure complete transparency, it would be necessary that the documents on the basis of which such satisfaction of ERO is arrived at, are also uploaded in ECINET. However, these documents shall be accessible to authorized election officials only keeping in view the privacy issues. In case of any claims and objections raised by any political party or an elector, the AERO would inquire into the same before EROs satisfaction is arrived at. Under Section 24 of the Act, an appeal against the order of ERO can also be made to the District Magistrate and the Chief Electoral Officer. CEO/DEOs/EROs/BLOs have been directed to take care that genuine electors, particularly old, sick, Persons with Disabilities, poor and other vulnerable groups are not harassed and are facilitated to the extent possible, including through deployment of volunteers.
Time of India
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Maharashtra poll rolls head to DEOs as Congress keeps pressure on EC
Nearly a week after the results of the Maharashtra assembly polls were announced on 23rd November 2024- delivering the Maha Vikas Aghadi a landslide victory- a Congress delegation submitted an 'urgent memorandum' to the Election Commission of India on 29/11/2024 red flagging 'grave inconsistencies' in the just concluded polls. The issue continues to simmer, has gone to court in February and is going to land at the office of the District Election Officer across Maharashtra and Haryana from June on—if pursued so by the Congress party. ET details the Electoral Roll debate that has erupted with Congress allegations after Maharashtra polls. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Walgreens Hides This Cheap 87¢ Generic Viagra from Seniors – Here's Why fridayplans Learn More Undo Electoral Roll – Nov'24 to June '25 In its 29/11/2024 representation, the INC primarily raised two concerns- on 'arbitrary deletion of voters and subsequent additions' and 'inexplicable increase in voting percentages from 5 pm to the final voter percentage declared' by ECI at 11:30 pm on day of polling. On November 30, the ECI sent in an interim reply to the party pointing out that electoral rolls are finalized with active participation of political parties including the Congress and the copies of draft electoral rolls are also given to party representatives for due verification. It also pointed to Form 17C- on total votes polled being shared with political parties. Live Events On December 4, ECI held an in-person meeting with senior Congress leaders on various issues raised and spent near 1.5 hours for a point by point explanation. A month later, on December 24, 2024 the ECI sent in a 66 page detailed reply to the Congress party- including an 11 page explanation and clarification on specific INC concerns besides annexures on FAQs on the poll process and previous communications involved. It is from here that the matter moves toc ourts and into even older electoral rolls – going back over a decade. In court On 27.12.2024, Congress MP Randeep Surjewala made a representation to the ECI seeking all electoral rolls for assembly and Lok Sabha polls for Maharashtra and Haryana from 2009 until 2024. In February 2025 Surjewala went on to file a writ petition in Delhi High Court over the delay in EC taking a decision on his representation 'despite passage of nearly two months'. After the filing of the petition- on 24/02/2025- the ECI is learnt to have written to Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of Maharashtra and Haryana 'to decide on the representation in accordance with law by speaking orders'. On February 25, Surjewala's counsel brought to the court's attention that 'no time limit has been circumscribed for deciding the representation' and sought that it be decided upon 'within a timebound manner'. The ECI submitted in court that that since electoral rolls from 2009 on are sought by the petitioner, 'at least a period of three months' was required to decide the representation. In its February 25, 2025 order Justice Jyoti Singh disposed Surjewala's petition asking ECI to decide on the 27.12.2024 representation 'as expeditiously as possible and not later than three months from today'. The ECI has complied. ECI green signal As reported first by ET, just as the three month window closed, on May 22 and May 24 respectively- the CEOs of Maharashtra and Haryana decided that Surjewala can seek electoral roll records from 2009 on- those that are permitted to be shared by rulebooks- from District Election Officers (DEOs) who are the custodians of the roll. These would have to be sought on payment of a prescribed fee. The same was communicated to the petitioner in May itself. On June 9, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi termed it a 'Good first step taken by EC to hand over voter rolls' and asked if the EC can 'announce the exact date by which this data will be handed over in a digital, machine-readable format'. That is easier said than done. What this means Many of these documents, in fact, can be sought from the DEO through an application and payment of prescribed fee- without any court intervention. That is also the easiest way. While draft electoral rolls are shared with all political parties at the time of summary roll revision for claims and objections, under Rule 85D of the Conduct of Elections Rules, 1961, copies of finally published electoral rolls are supplied to contesting candidates of recognized political parties free of cost- within three days after the list of contesting candidates is prepared. The 'marked copy' of the electoral roll – the one used on poll day- which indicates more details on the electors that came to cast the vote is retained by the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) for a prescribed period only. In fact, under Rule 32 of the Registration of Electors Rules 1960, there are varying retention periods for copies of electoral rolls from before 2013 and after that year—owing to an amendment in 2013. At the same time, there are other electoral related documents- for instance the 'marked copy' which are more difficult to access and EC may often not be able to share them without court approvals. It is also to be noted that several of the older records are hardly in a 'digital' format—in fact, it is a pain point for many a CEOs who have trouble creating secure storage for older and bulky print documents. It is more likely that the INC will get the copies of electoral rolls as they exist and are available—especially those predating 2013. Therefore, while ECI has given the green signal to document sharing, it is still a long process to get access to the rolls as applications will have to be made DEO wise.
