DEHRADUN: The ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Uttarakhand has triggered a political controversy after notices were issued to 20.27 lakh voters, with the Congress alleging selective targeting of its supporters and the BJP describing the exercise as a routine verification drive.
The Congress fears that the large-scale revision, including the deletion of names during the first phase, could alter the electoral balance in several Assembly constituencies. The party has therefore asked its workers to closely monitor the claims and objections process.
Chief Electoral Officer Dr B.V.R.C. Purushottam said on Thursday that 20.27 lakh notices had been served against a target of 24.30 lakh during the notice phase of the SIR.
Between July 14 and August 5, the Election Department received 57,000 applications under Form 6 for the inclusion of names, 22,668 applications under Form 7 for objections or deletion requests, and 26,145 applications under Form 8 for corrections and changes to voter details.
"We are continuously taking feedback from political parties on the SIR exercise," Purushottam told reporters at the Secretariat's Media Centre.
He said Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) were holding regular meetings at the Assembly constituency level, District Election Officers (DEOs) at the district level, and the Chief Electoral Officer at the state level to review the exercise.
"All District Election Officers have been instructed to visit the homes of voters aged above 65 years and persons with disabilities to address issues relating to the notices served to them," he added.
During the first phase, the names of 8,26,977 voters identified under the ASDD (Absent, Shifted, Dead or Duplicate) category were removed from the electoral rolls. The Election Commission subsequently published a provisional draft electoral roll on July 14, listing 71,33,785 voters across Uttarakhand.
In the second phase, discrepancies were detected in the details furnished by 19,04,380 voters, prompting authorities to issue notices seeking clarification or supporting documents. Notices have also been served on voters whose details could not be mapped during the pre-SIR exercise.
The Congress, however, alleged that Form 7 was being misused to selectively seek the deletion of its supporters' names.
"The Chief Electoral Officer's office had given certain assurances, but the exercise is being conducted contrary to those assurances," Congress state general secretary (organisation) Rajendra Singh Bhandari said.
"Form 7 is being used to target Congress supporters. We do not know whether these forms are being filled out at BJP offices or elsewhere, but our workers are vigilant and are bringing such cases to light," he alleged.
Rejecting the charge, BJP state spokesperson Mathura Dutt Joshi said no genuine voter was being arbitrarily removed.
"The Election Commission is only asking those who have been served notices to submit documents establishing the authenticity of their details," Joshi said.
"No voter's name is being deleted merely because a notice has been issued. Only those who fail to submit valid documents may face deletion," he added.