The Election Commission on Monday clarified that the 2003 electoral rolls in Bihar would be a valid documentary proof for voters and their parents.
This is the second clarification issued by the poll panel amid fears expressed by the Opposition that the “special intensive revision” of poll-bound Bihar’s electoral rolls might lead to large-scale disenfranchisement.
The first clarification, issued on June 28, said only those whose names are not on the rolls of 2003 — the last time the Bihar rolls underwent a special intensive revision — would need to provide documentation. The 2003 rolls had 4.96 crore names, the current rolls have 7.9 crore.
“The Election Commission of India has uploaded the 2003 Electoral Roll of Bihar, comprising details of 4.96 crore electors, on the ECI website — https://voters.eci.gov.in...,” the poll panel said in a statement.
The poll panel’s statement added: “…Anyone whose name is not in the 2003 Bihar Electoral Roll can still use the extract of 2003 Electoral Roll rather than providing any other documents for his/ her mother or father…. Such electors would have to submit the documents, only for themselves, along with the filled-up Enumeration Form.”
During the door-to-door rolls revision process, officials will arrive with a pre-filled enumeration form. Every voter must sign and submit it by July 25 along with the documents required. Else, their names could be deleted after an inquiry.
Proof about either or both parents is needed only if the voter has been born after July 1, 1987.
The enumeration form, however, is silent on the options for voters who were abandoned by, or are estranged from, their parents and others who may not have their parents’ documents. Commission officials have not responded to queries from The Telegraph on the subject.
The poll panel is sending text messages with instructions to 5.74 crore Bihar voters, whose mobile numbers are registered with it.
On June 24 evening, the poll panel had announced that the special intensive revision of the Bihar rolls would begin from the next day.
What has scared the Opposition parties is that this will be the first such exercise to demand proof of citizenship from all registered voters who are not on the 2003 rolls.
Political parties have, however, been cooperating with the drive by appointing booth-level agents to observe the revision process.
While supporting the move, former chief election commissioner O.P. Rawat said: “It will be relatively easy in Bihar as most migrant workers return home for the kharif cropping season. In states like Bengal or Tamil Nadu, it may take longer as the migrant labourers will be out of their hometowns in the months before the polls.”
A former chief election commissioner, who did not want to be named, told this newspaper: “Our job is to verify and enrol a person who says that he is an Indian above 18 years old, and has lived in a place for six months.
“Objection forms can be filed and it is up to the objector to prove that someone is not a citizen. Where will, for example, transgender people get their parents’ documents from, as they are estranged from their families?”
A poll panel source said: “The conduct of routine summary revision of the electoral rolls (done every year) is generally based on oral submissions and cursory field-level verification rather than any documentary evidence, thus resulting in an increasing number of complaints on the existing state of the electoral rolls….
“The current level of technology enables the collection of eligibility documents once and for all. This repository will enable an inquiry into any specific complaint against any elector at any time based on available documents rather than depending on just unverifiable oral submissions made to the booth-level officers.”
The list of documents includes:
- Any identity card or pension payment order issued to a regular employee or pensioner of any state or central government or a PSU;
- Any identity card, certificate or document issued in India by the government, local authorities, banks, post office, the LIC or PSUs before July 1, 1987;
- A birth certificate issued by the competent authority;
- A passport;
- A matriculation or other educational certificate issued by a recognised board or university;
- A permanent residence certificate issued by the competent state authority;
- A forest right certificate;
- An OBC, SC, ST or any other caste certificate issued by the competent authority;
- The National Register of Citizens, wherever it exists;
- A family register, prepared by the state or local authorities;
- Any land or house allotment certificate from the government.
The list is not exhaustive, which gives the election authorities the discretion to include other documents as well.