The Election Commission of India (EC) has issued a stern directive, holding District Magistrates (DMs) personally accountable for ensuring that the names of deceased individuals do not appear in the upcoming draft of the Special Summary Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. This warning was delivered during a crucial video conference with Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) from 12 states and union territories on Friday.
Directive from the Full Bench
The full bench of the EC, led by Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, conveyed this critical message directly to the DMs, who also serve as District Election Officers (DEOs). Sources within the commission clarified the mandate, stating, "The DMs will have to ensure that no dead voter's name is included in the draft SIR roll to be published on December 16." This places the onus squarely on the district-level administrators to clean up the voter lists.
Technological Tools for Verification
To aid in this massive exercise, the Election Commission has equipped Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and DEOs with advanced software tools, access to birth-date registrars, and deactivated Aadhaar data. These resources are intended to help officials accurately identify and flag duplicate entries and the names of voters who have passed away. The process doesn't end with digital identification. "After identifying dead and duplicate voters, a field inquiry will be conducted. Those names will be deleted after all checks," added sources, emphasizing the multi-layer verification process.
Scale of the Challenge and State Responses
The sheer scale of the task is evident from the data. By Friday afternoon, the total number of 'Uncollectible' forms had reached nearly 54.6 lakh. Out of these, a staggering 23,71,239 forms belonged to deceased voters. During the conference, the EC also inquired if the CEOs required more time to complete the purification exercise. In response, the West Bengal CEO informed the commission that the work in the state was nearly finished.
On the financial front, the Office of the CEO in West Bengal has requested Rs 80-90 crore to facilitate partial payments to Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and cover expenses incurred by DEOs for the SIR. The state government has assured the release of Rs 60-70 crore in the coming days to support this foundational democratic exercise.
