ADR claimed that Electoral Registration Officers are uploading over 3 lakh forms per officer, making proper execution impossible under Special Intensive Revision

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) in a rejoinder to the clutch of petitions challenging the Election Commission’s (EC) order of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in Bihar has alleged that the enumeration forms of voters, used for updating the electoral rolls, were being mass-uploaded by the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) without the consent of concerned voters.

SIR provisions

As per the provisions of the SIR, voters who have not submitted the enumeration forms along with supporting documents and whose names are not in the Draft rolls, which will be published on August 1, will face deletion from the electoral roll unless they file a claim for inclusion.

Once the claim is filed, if the ERO has any doubt regarding the eligibility of any voter, he or she can start a suo moto inquiry and issue a notice to the concerned elector asking why his name should not be deleted from the electoral roll.

One can appeal against the ERO’s decision to the District Magistrate under Section 24(a) or Section 24(b) (second appeal) before the CEO under the Representation of the People Act, 1950.

Target of uploading over 3 lakh forms

The ADR in its rejoinder further stated that a single ERO has been tasked with uploading enumeration forms of over 3 lakh voters, adding that this makes it impossible for the EROs to properly execute the process, reported Live Law.

ADR further alleged that the entire mechanism was impractical as it fails to provide adequate time to affected electors to have their appeals adjudicated before the electoral rolls are finalised.

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‘Unrealistic target’

“The situation raises serious questions about transparency, accountability, and the potential for electoral fraud, as voters express confusion and concern over how their details were uploaded without their involvement," stated ADR.

The ADR’s claims are based on a series of media reports by a senior journalist Ajit Anjum on how enumeration forms are being uploaded in the absence of voters by the Booth Level Officers (BLOs). The rejoinder was filed in response to the EC’s counter-affidavit filed last week.