NEW DELHI: A five-member delegation of Trinamool Congress (TMC) met the Election Commissioners on Tuesday and demanded that 2024 be used as the base year for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise ahead of Bihar elections.
The party also conveyed their concern with regard to ‘ghost’ voters, SIR exercise, surge in voter rolls in Delhi and Haryana, and alleged attempts by central paramilitary forces to influence elections.
The EC’s direction on June 24, requiring all existing voters who were not on the rolls in 2003 to provide proof of their and their parents’ citizenship, has sparked concerns of disenfranchisement and exclusion of poor and the marginalised from the voter rolls.
TMC Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee said that his party raised apprehensions about SIR which to them seems to be eligibility first and inclusion later.
“Under the statute, the revision roll should be based on 2024. That is the base level. This means that voters enrolled till 2024 should remain irrespective of any condition. The election took place in 2024, so why don’t you consider that as the base level? What about those who enrolled between 2003 and 2024? How can their names be deleted? The EC told us they would consider making 2024 the base year,” said Banerjee.
Banerjee added that the EC also clarified that those born after 1987 need not give the proof of birth of their parents if the latter’s names figure in the 2003 rolls.
“The important issue is the birth certificate, which concerns the years from 1987 to 2002–2003. The EC said those who are already voters will remain voters. If any inclusion is made after this, it will be based on evidence. They also said documents not necessarily required regarding the clause on producing documents of 1987,” he added. The delegation also included Chandrima Bhattacharya, Firhad Hakim, Aroop Biswas, and Prakash Chik Baraik.
The MPs raised the issue of alleged surge in the number of voters ahead of Delhi and Haryana elections especially, the addition of voters in the age group of 50–60.
“We raised one important point especially in Haryana and Delhi during the elections, where bulk voters were included ahead of the polls. To this, they said the voter list is updated and new voters can be added even till the last date of nomination,” he said adding that the party demanded a proper cut-off date and time to be fixed.
On Aadhaar card linkage, the EC said it is not compulsory, he said.