Tracing names of kin very difficult, says CPI-M, tells EC to give more time to submit forms

Chennai: Alleging that tracing names of family members online from the electoral rolls pertaining to year 2002 is extremely difficult, the CPI(M), a key ally of the ruling DMK, said it has urged the Election Commission to extend the December 4, 2025 deadline to submit filled in enumeration forms under the ongoing SIR exercise.

Expressing doubts over Election Commission's statement claiming distribution of enumeration forms to about 80 per cent electors in Tamil Nadu as on November 13, the Marxist party, in a representation to the poll panel, sought the intervention of officials to ensure proper distribution of forms to all the people.

"BLOs find it difficult to fully comprehend the scope of enumeration forms and explain the key points on filling forms to the people. Hence, they ask the electors to fill the forms themselves. However, illiterate voters will find it very difficult to fill the forms. Hence, additional time (extending the deadline) should be given (to people) to submit the enumeration forms after filling it," CPI-M State Secretary P Shanmugam said in the representation.

The memorandum, listing practical difficulties, was presented to the Chief Electoral Officer, Tamil Nadu, Archana Patnaik on November 14.

Shanmugam and state committee member I Arumuga Nainar called on the CEO, Archana Patnaik and they urged inclusion of all eligible people in the electoral rolls, during the ongoing SIR exercise.

Though it opposed the SIR exercise, the Marxist party said it has listed the measures to be followed since people are worried whether their names will be included or not in the electoral rolls.

The CPI-M said finding out names of electors online from the electoral rolls pertaining to years 2002/05 is extremely difficult and often, such data could not be downloaded.

Either such information was not available with officials or they were not inclined to share it with people. Hence, filling forms completely is not possible.

There is no scope to fill information related to new place of residence in the enumeration forms.

Nothing was said by authorities conclusively on fixing photos on forms in the meeting of parties held on October 29. "There are complaints that forms have not been distributed to people in hilly terrains." While filling SIR forms online, if correction was made to mistakes in names listed in rolls in 2002, the software does not allow it, the CPI-M said.

On November 14, the EC said that during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, over 5.62 crore enumeration forms have been distributed to electors in Tamil Nadu.