SIR issue: Allegations and EC's responses

Amid the huge ongoing row over SIR and the role of the Election Commission, the poll regulator has moved to address a range of internal concerns over voter registration, electoral databases and the functioning of its technology systems.Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi took several decisions on these matters at a meeting on September 26. The move followed reports that Sandhu and Joshi had raised objections on at least 14 occasions over 10 months to certain decisions and orders, including some they said had been issued without their knowledge.The Commission’s decisions covered these broad areas:Form 6 changesForm 6 is used by individuals seeking enrolment as new voters. Joshi had questioned modifications to the form, arguing that the statutory format under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, could not be changed without altering the rules. Sandhu supported this position.An additional declaration linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) was later incorporated into the online Form 6 on the ECINET platform, prompting another objection from Sandhu.Also read | Unanimous on SIR, EC eases voter hearings, enrolmentThe EC said the additional declaration had received the Supreme Court’s approval. It requires applicants during SIR to provide details of their own, parents’ or grandparents’ entries in the electoral roll prepared during the previous SIR. The Commission said the provision was limited to SIR and that the standard forms under the 1960 rules would continue outside such exercises.Electoral roll database accessConcerns had also been raised about the centralised electoral roll database and the access available to statutory authorities in states.The EC said access to ECINET is assigned to field officials according to their statutory responsibilities. It has also decided to have the system reviewed by a committee headed by a senior deputy election commissioner, with an independent expert from an IIT or IIIT as a member.The committee will examine whether ECINET conforms to election laws and rules. Any additional access required by field officials will also be considered.The 97 Goa votersA separate issue involved 97 Goa voters who had been found eligible for inclusion after electoral registration officers examined cases flagged for logical discrepancies following a Supreme Court order.The software, according to the correspondence, did not provide a mechanism to record the officers’ decisions and restore the names. The EC said booth-level officers have now been asked to contact these voters. Of the 97, 81 have already submitted Form 6.Also read | Suvendu Adhikari blames Mamata for deletion of 27 lakh names in Bengal SIRDuring the ongoing SIR, BLOs will also collect documents from voters who receive notices over unmapped records or logical discrepancies and upload them on ECINET. Such voters will ordinarily not need to appear personally before an ERO or AERO.Commission communications and IT oversightSandhu and Joshi had also raised concerns about communications being issued in the Commission’s name without the approval of all members.The latest press note said agendas for Commission meetings would be circulated beforehand and minutes would be issued. It also directed that instructions given by commissioners to EC officers be complied with.On the IT division, the EC said the disputed changes in work allocation were never implemented after the two commissioners intervened. It maintained that oversight by the deputy election commissioner over the IT division had not been withdrawn.Appeals over voter restorationQuestions had also been raised over appeals against the restoration of voters in West Bengal by judicial officers. The latest EC statement did not specifically address the issue.It said voters excluded during or after SIR could seek inclusion through continuous updation. Chief Electoral Officers, District Election Officers and EROs have also been asked to conduct a special enrolment drive for such electors.