Cleaning Up Voter Registration Lists: Remain Mindful of Sensitivity During the Process
The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters' list in India, particularly in the state of Bihar, has sparked a series of concerns due to challenges in verifying citizenship and the potential inclusion of foreign nationals.
The process, initiated by the Election Commission of India (ECI), has been met with difficulties in distinguishing genuine Indian citizens from suspected foreign nationals who possess valid documents. Instructions to hold back on enrolling those “doubtful” individuals lack formal written orders, leading to a dual system of voter enumeration.
The ECI's efforts to ensure the integrity of the electoral rolls have resulted in large-scale deletions, with about 35 lakh names being dropped in Bihar's revision, including the dead, relocated voters, and double-registered electors. However, many residents with valid voter identity documents have been surprised to find their names missing, raising concerns over wrongful deletions without proper objection or notification.
The Supreme Court has affirmed the ECI's authority to conduct the SIR, accepting Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration cards as valid documents for voter enumeration. Yet, concerns remain about the accuracy and fairness of the list updates, balancing inclusion of genuine voters and exclusion of ineligible entries.
The ECI has been urged to prioritize inclusivity over deadlines, to scrutinize the rolls and find out names that should not be there, rather than asking all those who are there to prove their bona fides. The electoral roll, as per the ECI, is a document of the bona fide citizens of India, and it is possible to have a scrutiny at the time of enrollment.
The controversy surrounding the SIR initiative underscores the complexity of verifying citizenship in a country like India, where many citizens lack documents to prove their existence or citizenship. The process has revealed tensions between legal protocols, administrative challenges, and the lived reality of highly mixed border populations.
The importance of being slow and steady in the voters' list exercise is emphasized, as deadlines are not more important than people's right to exist. The ECI must ensure that every component of the election process is error-free and foolproof, to maintain the credibility of the entire electoral system.
[1] The Indian Express. (2021, March 20). Bihar: Nepalis, Bangladeshis, Myanmar nationals found in voters' list. Retrieved from https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/patna/bihar-nepalis-bangladeshis-myanmar-nationals-found-in-voters-list-7280364/
[2] The Hindu. (2021, March 18). SC questions ECI's haste in Bihar SIR exercise, says Aadhaar, voter ID, ration cards are valid documents for voter enumeration. Retrieved from https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/sc-questions-ecis-haste-in-bihar-sir-exercise-says-aadhaar-voter-id-ration-cards-are-valid-documents-for-voter-enumeration/article34139935.ece
[3] The Wire. (2021, March 21). Bihar's Voters' List: The EC's Hasty Drive to De-duplicate and the Perils of a Dual System of Voter Enumeration. Retrieved from https://thewire.in/government/bihars-voters-list-the-ecs-hasty-drive-to-deduplicate-and-the-perils-of-a-dual-system-of-voter-enumeration
[4] The Quint. (2021, March 18). More Than 35 Lakh Voters' Names Deleted In Bihar's Special Intensive Revision Of Electors' List. Retrieved from https://www.thequint.com/news/india/bihar-election-2020-si-revision-of-voters-list-35-lakh-names-deleted-eci
[1] The policy-and-legislation surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters' list in India's politics has raised questions about the finance required for effective verification of citizenship.
[2] The controversy surrounding the SIR initiative in the Indian industry of general-news highlights the complexities of verifying citizenship in a country like India, where there are tensions between legal protocols, administrative challenges, and the lived reality of highly mixed border populations.
