Help desks, special camps and enrolment drives also announced
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has announced a series of measures to ease the process for electors facing notices during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, including doorstep collection of documents by Booth Level Officers (BLOs).
At a meeting held at Nirvachan Sadan on September 26, the Commission decided that voters who receive notices for being “unmapped” or having logical discrepancies will ordinarily not be required to appear before the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) or Assistant ERO.
Instead, BLOs will visit the homes of such electors, collect the required documents and upload them on the ECINET system for consideration by the ERO. Hearings will be held only in exceptional cases as decided by the ERO, with the Commission directing that such hearings be conducted preferably online. An adult member of the family may also be authorised by the elector to attend a hearing on their behalf, where required.
The Commission has also directed District Election Officers to establish adequate help desks and organise special camps for people living in night shelters, labourers, economically vulnerable sections and homeless persons, according to local requirements.
The ECI further said that people whose names were left out during or after the SIR, including young and first-time voters, can apply for inclusion in the electoral rolls through the process of continuous updation. Chief Electoral Officers have been directed to facilitate the process, with special enrolment drives to be undertaken by CEOs, DEOs and EROs.
For Nagaland, the SIR is currently underway. The draft electoral roll was published on September 20, while the period for filing claims and objections runs until October 20. The disposal of notices and claims and objections is scheduled to continue until November 18, with final publication of the electoral roll scheduled for November 22.
The Commission also extended the claims and objections period in Delhi until October 30, with disposal extended to November 30. In Maharashtra, the claims and objections period has been extended until October 12, with disposal extended to November 10.
On the technology front, the ECI said field officers have role-based access to ECINET according to their statutory powers. A committee headed by a Senior Deputy Election Commissioner and including an independent expert from an IIT or IIIT will review the system for compliance with electoral laws and rules.
The Commission said SIR has been completed in 20 States and Union Territories, while the final number of electors will be known after publication of the final rolls in the remaining states and UTs under the ongoing phases.
