Residents across Chennai are facing significant challenges during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, with language barriers and outdated photographs creating major obstacles in the voter registration process.
Language Barrier Creates Confusion Among Voters
During the current revision drive, numerous residents reported receiving enumeration forms printed exclusively in Tamil, causing difficulties for non-Tamil speakers in cosmopolitan areas. V Sandhya from Anna Nagar highlighted that her entire street received Tamil-only forms despite the area being home to people from diverse linguistic backgrounds.
"Anna Nagar is a cosmopolitan area with people from various places living here. Many struggled to read and were also not sure in what language to fill it," Sandhya explained, emphasizing the need for bilingual forms.
R Avinash, a resident of Old Washermenpet, echoed similar concerns, stating that all four forms received by his family members were in Tamil only. "It should be bilingual — English and Tamil. We don't know if we could fill it in English as well. The BLOs say we can fill it in English, but what if the EROs reject it?" he expressed, highlighting the uncertainty surrounding the process.
Outdated Photos Complicate Identity Verification
Block Level Officers (BLOs) tasked with verifying voter identities are facing their own set of challenges. Yamuna, a BLO from Royapuram constituency, revealed that the black-and-white photographs in some electoral records are approximately 20 years old, making identification extremely difficult.
"The images are sometimes blurred or sketchy, apart from being old. We still give the forms as some voters say they have been voting for a long time. We have given a provision for voters to attach a new photo if they want," Yamuna stated, acknowledging the practical difficulties in matching current appearances with decades-old photographs.
Digital Workarounds and Lack of Support
With BLOs struggling to meet their daily target of 500 households, many are resorting to sending forms via WhatsApp to expedite the process. Santhosh Kumar of Old Washermenpet reported that his BLO opted to send the form through the messaging platform, citing the large number of houses they needed to cover.
"If BLOs did this, the aim to verify the identity falls flat," Kumar commented, pointing out the security implications of digital workarounds.
The situation is particularly challenging for elderly and less literate voters who receive minimal assistance from officials. Avinash noted that senior citizens often end up seeking help from neighbors since the designated 1950 help desk frequently disconnects calls without providing solutions.
GCC commissioner J Kumaragurubaran, the competent authority for the electoral process, remained unavailable for comments despite multiple attempts to reach him through calls and messages.
The combination of language barriers, outdated documentation, and inadequate support systems is creating significant hurdles in Chennai's electoral revision process, potentially affecting voter participation and registration accuracy in upcoming elections.
