Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Sep 20: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday sought to counter misinformation on social media over notices being issued to Delhi voters under the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), clarifying that receiving a notice does not mean an elector’s name will be deleted from the electoral roll.
The Commission said system-generated notices were being issued to certain categories of electors for verification and correction of their data in ECINET.
“No name can be deleted without giving an opportunity of being heard and a proper speaking and appealable order,” the ECI said, adding that there was “no existential crisis” as being suggested in some sections of the social and print media.
According to the ECI, notices are being issued only to two categories of electors whose names appear in the draft electoral roll — those whose records could not be linked with the electoral roll of the last Intensive Revision and those with logical discrepancies in such linking.
The Delhi Chief Electoral Officer’s office has published the list of electors served notices, with more than 31.6 lakh voters flagged for such discrepancies.
The Commission said lists of electors who have received notices are available on the websites of the Delhi CEO, District Election Officers and Voter Centres.
“All stakeholders are hereby informed that the issuance of notice does not mean that their names will be deleted from the electoral rolls of NCT of Delhi,” the ECI said.
Electors receiving notices can submit their replies and requisite documents to the concerned Electoral Registration Officer or Booth Level Officer.
The ECI also clarified that its prescribed list of documents is indicative and not exhaustive. Electoral Registration Officers, as the statutory authorities, will take the final decision based on the documents available and the report of the BLO.
The disposal of notices is scheduled to be completed by November 29, while the final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on November 4, according to the Commission.
Several prominent figures have also been issued SIR notices over discrepancies in their electoral records. They include Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, former Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj and former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.
Former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Congress MP Abhishek Singhvi and former Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi have also been named among those who received notices, according to reports.
The CEO office has clarified that Gupta's electoral entry was subsequently validated following verification and is to be included in the final roll.
The notices come amid the wider SIR exercise in Delhi, following publication of the draft electoral roll on August 31. More than 47 lakh names were excluded from the draft roll, with the affected electors given an opportunity to seek inclusion through the prescribed process.