Latest news with #Form6
Indian Express
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Bengal Chief Electoral Officer of Bengal orders probe into Form 6 disposals; Suvendu calls it ‘scandalous betrayal of democracy'
Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal Manoj Agarwal has written to all district administrations directing District Election Officers to form teams of senior officers and conduct sample checking of all Form 6 disposals – which are used to add names to voters' lists – made in the last year. The report is to be submitted to the CEO's office by August 14. In the letter, Agarwal stated: 'It has been revealed during sample checking of disposal of forms received during continuous updation that in some cases provisions of the Registration of Electors' Act, 1960 are not being followed.' The letter further noted: 'Sample checking of less than 1% Form 6 disposals by EROs during continuous updation has revealed that two (2) of them had accepted a considerable number of Form 6 for fictitious voters. In all these cases BLOs verification was dispensed with, without any apparent urgency/requirement and similar documents were captured for a large number of application forms and their verification reports. Both the EROs have since admitted that they had provided user access to the ERO next to the AERO/OC Election in BDO Office/ Casual Data Entry Operators who had thereafter disposed of the Form 6 applications.' The CEO has also directed DEOs to ensure that OC Election staff in BDO offices and casual or daily-wage contractual data entry operators are not involved in the disposal of Forms 6, 7, or 8, or in carrying out any functions in ERONet. Reacting to the letter, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari posted on X: 'This latest memo from the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal to all the District Election Officers (DMs) exposes a scandalous betrayal of democracy.' He said: 'Fictitious Voters added to the rolls and unauthorized meddling by Casual Data Entry Operators IS THE DEPTH OF CORRUPTION UNDER MAMATA BANERJEE'S RULE. Booth Level Officers pressured to fudge records, Electoral Registration Officers handing over Voter Lists related jobs to unqualified hands is an assault on every citizen's right to participate in a fair elections.' Adhikari demanded an 'immediate investigation and appropriate action against those responsible.' Meanwhile, CEO Manoj Agarwal left for Delhi on Tuesday evening to meet Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. According to Commission sources, he will discuss when the special electoral roll revision in West Bengal should begin and what steps need to be taken before it starts. The CEO's office has already published data from the 2002 Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bengal, sparking speculation that the SIR may begin this August. Training for BLOs also began last Saturday. Agarwal said the ECI will conduct SIR training in this session. 'SIR may be held in future. Training will not happen again and again. The vote will be 6-8 months later. We will not be able to do these training [sessions] again,' he said. Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal. Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read More
Indian Express
9 hours ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Review additions to electoral roll to weed out ‘fictitious' voters: Bengal CEO to DEOs
The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal has directed all the District Election Officers (DEOs) to conduct sampling of one per cent of Form 6 disbursed in the past one year to check if any 'fictitious' voters were added to the electoral rolls. West Bengal will go to the Assembly polls early next year. In a letter to the DEOs and DMs, CEO Manoj Agarwal directed them to form a team of senior officers to check the disbursed Form 6 in their respective districts and submit a report by August 14. 'Sample checking of less than 1 per cent Form 6 disposals by the EROs (Electoral Registration Officers) during continuous updation has revealed a considerable number of Form 6 for fictitious voters. In all these cases, BLOs verification was dispensed with, without any apparent urgency/requirement and similar documents were captured for a large number of application forms and their verification reports,' the CEO wrote. The CEO has also ordered that the OC Election, posted in the BDO Office, and the casual and daily wages contractual data entry operators should not be involved in the disposal of the forms or any of the functions and duties in ERONet, the electoral roll management system. 'The EROs have since admitted that they had provided user access to the ERO net to the AERO/OC Election in BDO Office/ Casual Data Entry Operators who had thereafter disposed of the Form 6 applications. While appropriate action in these and other cases is being contemplated, District Election Officers are hereby directed to form a team of senior officers and have the sample checking of all Form 6 disposals done during the last one year and send a report to the undersigned by 14th August, 2025 positively,' the July 28 letter stated. Reacting to the report, BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition in Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, demanded a probe, accusing the TMC government in the state of 'rigging the electoral system'. 'This latest memo from the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal to all the District Election Officers (DMs) exposes a scandalous betrayal of democracy… Fictitious Voters added to the rolls and unauthorized meddling by Casual Data Entry Operators IS THE DEPTH OF CORRUPTION UNDER MAMATA BANERJEE'S RULE. Booth Level Officers pressured to fudge records, Electoral Registration Officers handing over Voter Lists related jobs to unqualified hands is an assault on every citizen's right to participate in a fair election,' Adhikari posted on X. West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer Manoj Agarwal is in New Delhi to meet Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the implementation of the controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral roll, which is currently being conducted in neighbouring poll-bound Bihar, sources said. According to sources in the state election commission, Agarwal will discuss with the CEC on the timeline of conducting the SIR and the necessary preparations for it. Earlier, the CEO started the SIR training workshop for the Booth Level Officials (BLOs) from Saturday. 'The SIR may be held in the future in the state. Training will not take place again and again. Since the Assembly election is six to eight months away, we will not be able to conduct these training workshops again,' Agarwal had said earlier. ENS Recently, the Chief Electoral Officer made voter lists from the 2002 electoral roll revision available online, sparking speculation that the exercise will begin in the state in August.
News18
a day ago
- Politics
- News18
Not Just Form 6: How New Voter Registration In Bihar Will Be Different Under SIR Drive
Last Updated: The drive targets those who turned 18 by July 1 or will do so by October 1, the Election Commission explained Starting August 1, the Election Commission of India will launch a special drive across Bihar to register new voters, including those turning 18 till October 1 or shifting from other states. The process, however, involves more than just the usual Form 6 submission. The special campaigns will be conducted across Bihar between August 1 and September 1 to enrol young electors. The drive targets those who turned 18 by July 1 or will do so by October 1, the poll body explained. The drive will also cover those shifting from outside Bihar or those registering for the first time, even if they are already over 18. But Bihar's process will differ from the usual as the state conducts its special intensive revision (SIR) drive. Let's first understand how new voters are usually registered. New Voter Registration Usually, across India, if new voters want to enrol, they have to submit Form 6. This form is submitted along with proof of age and residence. For those who want to update any details—including address change—Form 8 is submitted. Any Indian citizen above 18, applying for the first time or shifting constituency, can fill these forms along with address and age proof. No ancestral linkage or parental documents are required under normal circumstances. While filling the form, the applicants need to sign a declaration of citizenship and residence stating that they are citizens of India, along with the place of birth. But no proof is required for these declarations. Form 6 is flexible enough to include homeless Indian citizens who are otherwise eligible but lack residence documents. In such cases, field verification is conducted by an officer designated by the Electoral Registration Officer. What Is Different in Bihar? Along with Form 6 or Form 8, an additional Declaration Form is also required to be filled by the applicant, the ECI said. This declaration form demands proof of ancestry, particularly from those born after 1987. The Declaration Form is specific to Bihar's voter revision exercise. It is important to note that the Declaration Form is not a replacement for Form 6 but an additional declaration needed for those born after July 1, 1987. This form asks for birth documents of the applicant—and in some cases, their parents—to prove eligibility. If the parents are foreign nationals or lack Indian citizenship records, they need to provide passport and visa copies. Three Age Groups, Three Levels of Proof Voters born in India are broadly divided into three categories in terms of age: those born before July 1, 1987; between July 1, 1987, and December 2, 2004; and those born after December 2, 2004. For those born between July 1, 1987, and December 2, 2004, the poll body has mandated the submission of additional documents establishing birth not just for the applicant but also for one parent. For those born after December 2004, the applicant needs to submit the birth proof—date or place—for both the parents, apart from their own. Those born before 1987 will not need to submit the proof of their parents, but only their own. It is important to note that by just filling out Form 6, the new potential voters cannot complete the process in Bihar during the SIR drive without the Declaration Form and the corresponding parental documents. Acceptable documents to prove ancestry include 'Voter ID of parent; Parent's name in electoral roll prior to July 1, 1987; Birth certificate issued before 1987; Land ownership documents; Government-issued caste/domicile certificate; family register; or NRC records". In short, Bihar's SIR drive demands more than just Form 6—proof of ancestry is now central to registration for many young voters. The first phase of SIR has been completed in Bihar. Over 7.24 crore out of 7.89 crore registered voters in Bihar submitted enumeration forms before the July 25 deadline—indicating high participation. The draft electoral rolls will be released on August 1. As Bihar prepares for elections likely in November, the Election Commission's intensified efforts reaffirm its goal of building inclusive, verified voter rolls—a cornerstone of free and fair democratic participation. view comments Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: July 30, 2025, 07:30 IST News india Not Just Form 6: How New Voter Registration In Bihar Will Be Different Under SIR Drive Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Eye on phantom voters, Bengal CEO seeks reports on entries over past yr
Kolkata: In a bid to pin down fictitious voters, Bengal chief electoral officer (CEO) Manoj Agarwal on Monday asked DMs to submit reports on inclusion of names in the state's voters' list over the past year. DMs, who also serve as district electoral officers (DEOs), are required to submit reports by Aug 14. DEOs have been asked to conduct sample surveys of the disposal of Form 6 — used to include names on voters' lists — by setting up teams of senior officials. These officials are expected to check and report how electoral registration officers (EROs) are disposing of Form 6 requests. In his letter to DEOs, the CEO said a number of polling officials were not following provisions of the Registration of Electors Act, 1960. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata The CEO's letter coincided with the EC publishing the 2002 special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bengal, tabling voter data of 11 districts across 109 assembly segments. Two EROs, of Moyna and Baruipur, are already under CEO's scanner because they were unable to offer clear replies when questioned about anomalies in the voters' lists in these areas, sources said. The CEO's letter read: "Sample checking of less than 1% of Form 6 disposal by EROs during continuous updation revealed that two EROs accepted a considerable number of Form 6 for fictitious voters." "In all these cases, the BLOs' verification was dispensed with, without any apparent urgency/requirement, and similar documents were captured for a large number of application forms and their verification reports," the letter read further. Both EROs admitted to have provided user access to other officials and even data entry operators who thereafter disposed of the Form 6 applications, according to the CEO's letter. Sources said the CEO was contemplating action against the two as well as other officials found involved in such malpractices. An EC official said if any ERO, assistant ERO, or another person, while performing the official duty of preparation, revision, or correction of an electoral roll or the inclusion or exclusion of any entry, is found guilty of any act or omission in breach of such official duty, they shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term not less than three months, which might extend to two years, along with fine. It has come to EC's notice that there was a rise in voter enrolments in the 25-40 age-group in border districts of North and South 24 Parganas, North Dinajpur, Cooch Behar, Malda and Murshidabad. Ideally, the enrolments should be high in the 18-21 age-group.
NDTV
a day ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Survey Finds Fictitious Voters Registered In Bengal, Probe Ordered
Kolkata: An attempt at voter list manipulation in Bengal is suspected after a small audit revealed serious violations in the handling of Election Commission's Form 6, used to register new voters. Investigations have been ordered into the new voter registrations that took place over the last year and into the two officials allegedly involved. A memo from the Chief Electoral Officer accessed by NDTV indicates that the two "Electoral Registration Officers" or ERO had accepted a considerable number of applications from fictitious voters. The mandatory verification process was bypassed. The irregularities were detected after a sample review of less than 1 per cent of Form 6 submitted was undertaken. The memo said the mandatory verification by a Booth Level Officer was deliberately skipped, and similar documents were used repeatedly for multiple fraudulent applications. The memo also said casual Data Entry Operators were granted access to the ERO Net system. They were the ones who disposed of the applications improperly. The Chief Electoral Officer has ordered the district officials to take immediate action. Teams of senior officer teams should be formed to investigate all Form 6 disposals carried out over the past year, they have been told. A detailed report has to be submitted by August 14. Additionally, it was directed that contractual or casual data entry operators not be allowed to handle Form 6, 7, or 8 or any ERO Net-related duties, moving forward. The urgent directive highlights a significant breach in electoral protocol. An internal probe is in progress against the two EROs. The matter comes amid a huge row over the revision of voter lists in Bihar that has now reached the Supreme Court. The Opposition parties allege the Election Commission's processes will result in largescale disenfranchisement of voters that would benefit the BJP. Assembly elections are due next year in Bengal - where the BJP has been trying to capture power from Trinamool Congress chief and three-time Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
