SIR 2.0 | DMK alleges Booth Level Officers forcing voters to return forms immediately

Chennai: Tamil Nadu’s ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Wednesday alleged that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are forcing voters to complete enumeration forms and return them within a day. The party also expressed concerns that lakhs of people could be disenfranchised if the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls proceeds in a rushed manner.

Explaining the reasons behind the DMK's petition in the Supreme Court against the SIR, party’s legal wing secretary and Rajya Sabha MP N R Elango said the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) Form 6, distributed to voters, is difficult for many to understand. He stressed that voters require sufficient time to comprehend and correctly fill in the details.

“The form is difficult to complete. In many areas, BLOs have not distributed the forms. Where they have, we have reports of voters being compelled to submit the filled form the very next day. BLOs are reportedly not following the instructions issued by the ECI,” Elango alleged.

Meanwhile, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami convened a meeting of district secretaries and asked them to ensure that fresh voters’ list doesn’t have any discrepancies. He instructed the functionaries to closely monitor the SIR exercise and sent reports to the party headquarters. 

Elango also took objection to the exercise being conducted during the peak northeast monsoon season and Christmas and Pongal holidays. The MP said it will be very difficult for people in rural areas to stick to the deadline and submit the forms. 

“Though our party cadres have been mobilized to assist voters, one month is too short for such an extensive exercise. The Booth Level Agents of political parties are not legally qualified to verify discrepancies. If this continues, lakhs of voters may lose their voting rights,” the senior DMK leader said. 

“Voters who fail to submit their forms by the December 4 deadline will be excluded from the draft electoral rolls to be published on December 8. Those omitted must then register as new voters before January 31 by submitting documents specified by the ECI. This is wrong at many levels as one-month is too short,” Elango added. 

When asked how the DMK could blame BLOs, government employees under a party-led administration, Elango explained that BLOs function as ECI officials during this exercise. “They report to the Chief Electoral Officer, not the government. Our allegations are based on facts,” he stated.

Reflecting on his experience, Elango described the process of locating his name and booth in the 2002 SIR as taking about an hour for him and his team. 

“If this is the time needed for a senior lawyer like me, how many voters will have the time and resources to verify their names on the list?” he questioned. Elango also criticized inadequate training provided to BLOs for the SIR.