Very soon, a special nationwide revision of the electoral rolls is expected to commence mostly by October this year, said the sources from the Election Commission.
Commencement Of The Nationwide Voter Roll Revision
They discussed the preparations for the exercise during a meeting of the Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) from all states and Union Territories on Wednesday, where the proposal received a green light.
Just ahead of the state assembly elections, the poll panel recently carried out a similar voter roll revision in Bihar.
Now this process is going to be expanded to cover all states and Union Territories.
The announcement for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) could come even before the Bihar elections conclude according to the sources.
Moving ahead, the CEOs were asked how soon they could be ready for the revision, during this conference-cum-workshop.
They are planning to complete the basic groundwork by September further paving the way for an October launch as assured by most officials.
This day-long meeting was mainly focused on the logistics and preparations for SIR also included presentations lasting over three and a half hours.
During this revision, the state CEOs were asked to prepare a list of documents that can be used for verifying voters by the Election Commission.
Clean Up Voter Lists, Checking For Eligible Voters
Please note here, that these documents will be based on locally accepted and easily available certificates, which vary across regions.
For instance, consider the case of states with tribal populations, those in the northeast, and coastal areas as they often have unique documents for identity and residence proof.
Besides this, regional autonomous councils and local bodies also issue certificates that are widely recognised in several places.
Considering these variations, the Commission has asked states to factor in these variations while finalising the verification process.
The main aim of the Special Intensive Revision is to clean up the voter lists by deleting names of the deceased, people who have moved permanently, duplicate entries, or non-citizens, while also making sure that every eligible voter is included, according to the Election Commission.
In the meantime, the voter roll revision in Bihar, which was fast-tracked due to upcoming elections, has sparked a row with the opposition party calling it a political move.
It appears that opposition parties like the Congress, RJD and Trinamool Congress raised concern that the drive could lead to mass deletions of voters from marginalised communities.
On the other hand, the poll body has consistently defended the SIR while asserting that the exercise is crucial for maintaining the integrity and accuracy of the electoral rolls.
They are expecting that this exercise will be launched across India by October.
