Former Chief Election Commissioner Dr SY Quraishi on Friday levelled a fresh allegation against the Election Commission of India (ECI) over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, claiming that voters whose names were deleted during the exercise cannot use Form 6 to get their names restored as the form is intended for new voters.
Quraishi shared an October 1 press note issued by the ECI, which directs Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to compare the current electoral roll with the pre-SIR roll and identify electors whose names appeared in the earlier list but are missing from the current roll.
According to the ECI directive, BLOs have been asked to conduct house-to-house visits to such identified electors, ascertain their present status and “facilitate enrolment through Form 6” wherever the person is found eligible.
The directive also asks BLOs to cover at least 20-25 electors a week and complete the exercise within about a month, while maintaining the present status of each elector and indicating those for whom Form 6 has been filled.
Reacting to the directive, Quraishi alleged that voters who had been compelled to fill Form 6 could be committing a criminal offence.
“All those who have been forced to fill it have committed criminal offence carrying 1 yr prison. EC officials who forced them are abetters to crime. This press note shows ECI’s abetment!” Quraishi said.
His remarks come amid mounting political criticism of the poll panel over the SIR exercise. The Election Commission recently announced special drives to facilitate enrolment of “left out” voters as well as young and first-time eligible electors.
The move followed reports of a divide within the poll panel over the SIR and comes amid claims that around 13 crore names have been removed from draft electoral rolls across states and Union Territories during the revision exercise.
