E-Paper
JMM seeks clarity on voter verification norms for SIR
JMM urged Jharkhand CEO to clarify voter record discrepancies and apply uniform guidelines for the special revision process, citing Bihar's successful approach.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) on Saturday formally wrote to the chief electoral officer (CEO), Jharkhand to solve confusion surrounding the special intensive revision (SIR) process. In a letter signed by party general secretary Vinod Kumar Pandey, JMM highlighted administrative inconsistencies across districts during the ongoing household enumeration phase.
According to the JMM, booth-level officers and election authorities are applying conflicting rules when dealing with voter records flagged with issues. The letter focuses heavily on two specific categories of voters. The first category includes voters whose records contain discrepancies or errors and the second category includes voters whose addresses or mapping data remain unlinked.
The JMM noted that during a similar revision process in Bihar, officers collected supporting documents right at the doorstep during the household count to prevent future hurdles for citizens. To ensure a fair and uniform process in Jharkhand, the party asked the CEO to clarify if booth officers could accept documents during the household phase and confirm if clear and uniform rules had been sent to all district election officers (DEOs), electoral registration officers (EROs), assistant electoral registration officers (AEROs), and booth-level officers (BLOs).
The party asked to issue an urgent, state-wide circular if uniform guidelines do not exist. It asked for an explanation of the legal and procedural basis if Jharkhand is deliberately following a different system than Bihar.
The party emphasised that protecting the voting rights of every eligible citizen and maintaining an error-free voter list was foundational to democracy. It requested immediate official clarification to guide on-ground election staff.
“The accuracy of the voter list and the protection of the voting rights of every eligible citizen form the core foundation of a democratic system. Therefore, it is expected that a clarification will be issued swiftly on this matter and the necessary guidelines will be provided to all the officials concerned,” the concluding paragraph of the letter sent on Saturday reads.
