New Delhi [India], November 4 (ANI): Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh has written to CEC Gyanesh Kumar, urging the Election Commission of India (ECI) to take immediate steps to protect the voting rights of 11.73 lakh people marked absent or untraceable during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Delhi.
In his letter, Singh sought the immediate implementation of the Supreme Court’s directions issued during the hearing of the Delhi SIR matter on October 28, allowing voters whose names were deleted during the revision exercise and placed on the Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate (ASDD) list to submit Enumeration Forms or Form 8 for inclusion in the electoral rolls.
“Out of the 47 lakh voters deleted during the first phase and placed on the ASDD list in Delhi, 31.59 lakh have been marked as permanently shifted and 11.73 lakh as untraceable/absent (those who did not submit their Enumeration Forms within the prescribed deadline),” the letter reads.
Referring to the court’s observations, Singh said that forcing voters whose names were deleted during the SIR process to fill Form 6, which contains a declaration that the applicant is a first-time voter, was an error. The judges termed it a “structural incongruity”.
Singh said the Supreme Court orally directed that voters whose names were deleted due to shifting of residence should be allowed to submit Form 8, the statutory form for change of residence and correction.
He pointed out that the court observed that people frequently shift residences for economic reasons or to be closer to their workplaces. Such voters were excluded during the SIR process because, under the ECI’s procedures, anyone not found at their pre-SIR electoral roll address was not provided an Enumeration Form, as mentioned in Question 30 of the FAQ issued by the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Delhi.
The AAP MP further said that the 11.73 lakh voters marked as absent or untraceable should also be permitted to submit their Enumeration Forms at this stage instead of being compelled to enrol as new voters through Form 6.
The Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant, Justice Bagchi and Justice Mohana emphasised that failure to submit an Enumeration Form within the prescribed deadline should not result in the forfeiture of the right to vote, which is a vital right, Singh stated in his letter.
The Supreme Court also stressed that the ECI must make every possible effort to reach voters excluded during the revision exercise. It directed that the ASDD list, along with the necessary forms, including Form 8 and the Enumeration Form, should be made available at the block and booth levels, with assistance provided to people in filling them out.
Singh also highlighted the court’s emphasis on making relevant documents available in Hindi and undertaking wide publicity to encourage voters to check their names in the electoral rolls and submit Form 8 or Enumeration Forms, as applicable.
“In view of these directions, I urge the ECI and the CEO, Delhi, to immediately establish and publicise an appropriate and simplified mechanism for their implementation. Clear instructions must be issued to accept Form 8 and Enumeration Forms from voters on the ASDD list, without compelling them to submit Form 6, which contains a declaration of being a first-time voter,” the letter reads.
Singh also referred to the Supreme Court’s observation that the deadline for filing claims and objections should be extended. Welcoming the ECI’s decision to extend the timeline for the Delhi SIR process, he said immediate action was required to ensure effective compliance with the court’s directions and prevent eligible voters from being excluded from the electoral rolls.
He urged the poll body to take immediate action in the matter. (ANI)
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