With Delhi staring at fresh Assembly elections along with the general election, the Election Commission will soon start summary revision of electoral rolls to address the grievances of voters who could not exercise their franchise during the recently held Assembly polls as their names were missing.
“We have received a proposal from the Election Commission of India to initiate revision of electoral rolls. We have also suggested some changes in the proposal which is required to deal with Delhi-specific problems. The ECI is likely to look into the suggestions and send the final proposal in two to three days. We would then start revision of the rolls,” said Delhi Special CEO Shurbir Singh.
Sources in the Delhi Chief Electoral Office said one of the major suggestions sent by the department is to extend the time period set by the ECI to complete the summary revision. “We need adequate time in order to do away with any possible discrepancy and ensure that names of all eligible voters are included in the list,” said an official.
While officials said the department followed due process in the summary revision conducted ahead of the Assembly elections, voters from across the city on December 4 complained they were not allowed to vote as their names were missing from the electoral rolls.
Several voters complained their names were deleted despite the fact that they have been residing at their respective residences for the past several years. There were cases where names of some members in a family were in the rolls, but those of the others were missing.
Responding to the complaints, Chief Electoral Officer Vijay Dev said the department had repeatedly urged people -- through campaigns and paid advertisements -- to verify the status of their names in the electoral rolls, but people failed to do so. The officials said all possible mediums would be utilised to intimate people once the revision of rolls starts.
Apart from the old registered voters, hundreds of first-time voters are also expected to be registered in the electoral rolls this time. Several youngsters who turned 18 after January 1, 2013, were not able to get themselves registered ahead of the polls due to the exiting ECI laws.
“The cut-off date for registering new voters is set by the ECI. As per the existing norms, January 1 is the cut-off date. People turning 18 after January 1 have to wait till the next year,” an official said.
