The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Wednesday revised the schedule for the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Punjab, Karnataka, Telangana and the National Capital Territory of Delhi, giving booth-level officers (BLOs) additional time to complete door-to-door verification.
Details
The move comes a day after the commission announced similar changes for Andhra Pradesh and Haryana, indicating that it is accommodating requests from states for more time to complete field verification.
Providing information, Punjab chief electoral officer Anindita Mitra said now, the house-to-house enumeration phase in the state will continue till August 3, instead of July 24. The CEO said the draft electoral rolls in Punjab will now be published on August 13.
Claims and objections regarding the electoral rolls can be submitted from August 13 to September 12, while disposal of claims and objections will continue from August 13 to October 8. The final electoral rolls will be published on October 12, she added.
Mitra urged all eligible citizens to actively participate in the SIR to ensure that their electoral details were complete, accurate and up to date, thereby contributing towards free, fair and transparent elections.
BJP complains to ECI
Punjab BJP chief Kewal Singh Dhillon on Wednesday submitted a representation to the ECI and Punjab CEO, alleging illegal activities being carried out by certain government officials and BLOs during the ongoing SIR exercise.
In his letter, Dhillon alleged that some officials were collecting data related to various Punjab government welfare schemes and encouraging people to avail of benefits under those schemes. He further alleged that at several places, BLOs were demanding unauthorised documents from tenant voters, such as registered rent agreements or affidavits from landlords, even though no such requirement existed in ECI’s prescribed guidelines. “These unwarranted demands are causing unnecessary hardship to voters and making the electoral process unnecessarily cumbersome,” said Dhillon.
The party has sought an immediate inquiry and strict disciplinary action against officials allegedly collecting data beyond the prescribed mandate and promoting government schemes during the SIR exercise.
