An
opinion piece by a young voter
Souvik Mukherjee
MAJMC Sem 4
In West Bengal, the
Special Intensive Revision (SIR) 2026, which began as an administrative activity,
has now become an experience that many thousands of voters have had to live
with.
Several districts of West
Bengal have experienced significant amounts of notices, hearings, document
verification, and doubt as it relates to current voter registration versus
older election data, especially regarding the 2002 Voter List. The issuance of
an unprecedented number of notices sent to voters, many of which have been
categorized as logical discrepancies, ASD (Absentee, Shifted and Dead) unmapped
situation, etc. has been one of the most visible impacts at the ground level of
SIR.
For many long-term
voters, this has been the first time they received notification that their
eligibility was being challenged and questioned after participating in more
than one election cycle. Often, voters are made to attend verification hearings
at block/subdivision offices as part of their appeal process. The challenges
this has created for rural communities are significant. Many elderly people,
individuals with disabilities, low-wage earners, and migrant workers have
difficulty making long-distance trips, sometimes necessitating multiple trips
within a short period of time. In some districts, this has resulted in public
protests to have hearings conducted closer to polling locations.
Many voters have
experienced repeated verification problems, particularly with regards to the
old-style (pre-2002) voter data from the 2002 election. In some cases, where
there are disputes about the latest electronic database mapping records
correctly, references are being made back to the old-style (pre-2002) electors’
rolls for verification because the names of many voters are included in the
older electors’ rolls but do not exactly match the names on the most recent
electronic databases, many of these voters have been flagged for hearing. The
small discrepancies in age, spelling, or address that have accumulated over
several decades have resulted in some voters receiving notice of possible
hearings or having to produce documents of proof of identity for voting
purposes. For some of the older voters, especially those over 60, producing the
required documentation has been a significant burden.
Voter documentation
without reliable confirmation continues to be a major issue for many. Many
constituents reported submitting identity and address verification documents
during hearings or by using the verification process but were subsequently told
that there was no record of their submission. In many instances, a receipt or
written acknowledgment was not provided. The absence of traceability has caused
increased concern among voters who were already being considered "not
found" or "unmapped." These constituents now fear that the lack
of documentation regarding their submissions may result in being deleted from
the final roll because of a gap in the process, as opposed to ineligibility.
The increasing reliance
on digitization throughout the SIR process has added to the pressure on voters
and their rights, particularly where previously handwritten records in a
regional script are being translated to digital formats via Standardization. Small
discrepancies- spelling variations, estimated birth dates and different
structures of address, have resulted in many of these records being reported as
mismatched and therefore requiring subsequent verification. Many voters report
receiving multiple phone calls regarding their records after making corrections
to them, resulting in the perception of a repeated process rather than a
resolved one.
For voters who are
migrant workers or employed outside of their home districts, the difficulties
of attending hearings scheduled with little notice often result in the voters
having to make difficult decisions about whether to prioritize their livelihoods
over compliance with the electoral process. As a result of the issues outlined
above, voters report increased anxiety related to the electoral process. Many
reports confusion with respect to the process, fear of being removed from the
electoral roll and distrust of inconsistent communications regarding their
voting record.
While the SIR 2026
project is designed to enhance the accuracy of electoral rolls, it appears that
there is a conflict between the administrative verification process and the
convenience of voters, which may affect the efficacy of the SIR process as to whether
or not genuine voters feel to have been supported and protected during the
process.
West Bengal will soon
publish its final electoral roll. The process of Special Intensive Revision
remains ongoing, with significant administrative and social challenges
associated with the implementation of this program. Through the course of the
Special Intensive Revision (SIR), it was demonstrated how large and complex the
task was to keep accurate databases of voters due to continued migration, vast
differences in language, and the many years of records that had developed prior
to the development of electronic records systems. The process of verification is
critical to maintaining the integrity of an election; however, based on the
experiences that have emerged on the ground, how the process is implemented may
be equally as important as what is intended through the implementation.
Therefore, the final
outcome of the SIR 2026 may not only depend on the level of accuracy of the
databases produced but also on whether the process provides voters with the
confidence that voter inclusion is the expected outcome through the system
used.
Read more:
Sr Advocate Rakesh
Dwivedi, appearing for the ECI, stated that
https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/sir-verification-of-citizenship-only-for-electoral-purposes-the-method-is-liberal-soft-touch-eci-tells-supreme-court-519854
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