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The Hindu
09-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Amidst concerns around voter discrepancies, EC publishes ‘revised' electoral roll for Bengal's bypoll-bound Kaliganj
The final electoral list of the Kaliganj Assembly Constituency in West Bengal's Nadia district features a correction and net decrease of over 2,000 voters following a special summary revision by the Electoral Registration Officer, ahead of byelections in the constituency. A special summary revision was conducted by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) after an integrated draft electoral roll was published on April 8. The period between April 8 and April 24 was designated for filing claims and objections. The final electoral list featuring a total of 2,52,670 electors was published on May 5. It recorded a net decrease of 2,208 electors from the initial list of 2,54,878 voters. Also read | Escalating 'fake voters' charge, Trinamool Ministers hit the streets to scrutinize electoral rolls This purportedly follows the deletion of names, recording changes in electors' residence, inclusion of new and overseas voters, correction of particulars, replacement of Electors Photo Identity Cards (EPIC), and marking of persons with disabilities during the special summary revision. The correction of over 2,000 names assumes significance in the wake of the State ruling party's concerns around duplicate EPIC numbers earlier this year, and allegations of several voters in West Bengal sharing the same EPIC number with electors from other States. At a party meeting in February this year, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had claimed that the electoral rolls in West Bengal feature a large number of 'fake voters' from other States like Gujarat and Haryana, and accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of enabling such discrepancies. She had also instructed Trinamool Congress leaders and workers to inspect the electoral rolls in the State and flag discrepancies. A Trinamool core committee was tasked with verifying the State's electoral rolls. 'After house-to-house field survey by 309 Booth Level Officers (BLOs), draft Electoral Rolls were published on 08/04/2025 by Electoral Registration Officer for inviting claims and objections. All Political Parties together appointed 660 number of Booth Level Agents (BLAs) for verifying the draft electoral rolls. After addressing all claims and objections, the final electoral rolls were published by ERO on 05/05/2025 and a copy was handed to all political parties,' the CEO said in a statement on May 7, after the publication of the final electoral list of the Kaliganj Assembly constituency. Two byelections in West Bengal are due — in the Kaliganj Assembly constituency and the Basirhat Parliamentary constituency — following the deaths of Trinamool MLA Nasiruddin Ahamed in February this year and Trinamool MP Haji Sheikh Nurul Islam in September last year, respectively.
Indian Express
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Pak national claims to have voted in India: What are the rules for obtaining a voter ID?
Following a government order in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack, hundreds of Pakistani nationals have left India this week. However, many of the deportees have claimed that they have valid Aadhaar cards, ration cards and even Voter IDs. One such deportee was Osama, who, in a video recorded by news agency ANI, claimed to have moved to Uri in Jammu & Kashmir's Baramulla district from Rawalpindi in 2008. He also said that he had voted in India despite holding the citizenship of Pakistan. On April 30, an FIR was filed regarding the matter on the orders of Baramulla's District Election Officer (DEO). What are the rules regarding voter IDs? Article 326 of the Constitution states that every Indian citizen aged 18 years or above has the right to vote in elections to the Lok Sabha and state/Union Territory Assemblies. Section 16 of the Representation of the People (RP) Act, 1950, expands on this, giving the reasons for which a person can be disqualified for registration in an electoral roll. The disqualification can happen if a person 'is not a citizen of India', if she is 'of unsound mind and stands so declared by a competent court', or if she 'is for the time being disqualified from voting under the provisions of any law relating to corrupt practices and other offences in connection with elections.' The Form 6 — the Election Commission of India's (ECI's) form for registering new electors — requires the applicant to provide self-attested copies of age proof and address proof. Although the applicant does not need to present citizenship proof, the form includes a declaration of citizenship which needs to be signed by the applicant. In case the declaration is found to be false, the applicant can face action as per Section 31 of the RP Act which provides for a punishment with imprisonment of up to one year or a fine or both. Once the completed form is received, the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) is expected to enquire into the claims and objections, issue notices of hearing where required, and take a final decision on the same. The Booth Level Officers (BLOs) appointed by the ERO are required to collect the claims and objections on behalf of the ERO or assistant ERO. How is citizenship determined? According to the ECI's manual on electoral rolls, the ERO is responsible for making sure that no ineligible person is added to the electoral roll. However, usually, if there is no objection to a new elector's applicant, the check for citizenship does not come up. The manual says when a claim is presented before the ERO, the officer has to 'satisfy himself that the applicant is, inter alia, a citizen of India'. The ERO must consider all evidence the person concerned may tender in the course of the inquiry. The manual stresses that EROs must apply their minds independently, 'without being influenced by extraneous considerations'. 'It must be remembered that there is a provision for appeal against the decision of the Electoral Registration Officer… The onus of proof of citizenship shall initially lie on the applicant who applies for inclusion of his name for the first time,' the manual states. In the case of migrants from other parts of India, the ERO has to cross-check with the DEO of the district where the claimants have migrated from. In the case of married women, who have changed their address as a result of marriage, and who cannot produce documentary evidence as proof of citizenship, the ERO can rely on proof of being registered as a voter as an unmarried person. In such cases, the ERO can also rely on proof of marriage or certificates issued by headmen of both villages where the woman lived before marriage and after. In case there is an objection filed against an applicant for not being a citizen, the onus of providing the proof is on the objector, according to the manual. Here, the ERO 'would be justified in requiring the person concerned to show evidence that he is a citizen of India'. Have cases of non-citizens getting voter IDs emerged before? ECI sources say cases of non-citizens getting voter IDs have been found in the past as well. Whenever the objections are found to be true, the electors concerned are struck off the rolls and action has been initiated against them. Notably, the ECI is currently in the process of linking Aadhaar with Voter IDs to ensure that only Indian citizens get the right to vote. However, in the case of non-citizens who have Aadhaar, that would not be enough to identify ineligible electors.
