Ahead of the nationwide special intensive revision (SIR) –– based on the Bihar lessons –– the Election Commission is learnt to be mulling steps to ease the process for voters –– from providing a more customised enumeration form to ERO getting access to all intensive electoral rolls to easily link up parental proof.
The EC deliberations come even as the poll panel continues to face considerable political criticism besides litigation in the Supreme Court over the Bihar SIR. The first shift is likely to be the enumeration form (EF) itself.
Enumeration form
ET has gathered that the ECI is planning to rework the new SIR enumeration form format to customise it more to the voter, enabling him to easily identify whether he is required to submit any documents of proof at all.
The pre-printed EF will indicate the document requirement for one or both parents, indicated either through an icon/stamp on the EF or in writing, it is gathered.
Currently, the EF, as used in Bihar, comes pre-printed with details on the elector’s name, old photograph, EPIC number, address and constituency details.
If one is not on the 2003 roll, additional documents of proof need to be attached, depending on date of birth prior to 1987 (only own birth proof), between 1987 and 2004 (own proof and one of the parents) and those born after 2004 (own proof and for both parents).
Since electors had to make this assessment on categorisation themselves in Bihar, there was confusion on documents in the early days of SIR.
This time, the ECI machinery across states has begun identification of electors who were not on the previous intensive revision roll and will reach out to both segments accordingly.
The last intensive roll
The nationwide SIR is expected to make the process hassle-free for those who may have been enrolled as a voter anywhere in the country in the 2002-2004 Intensive Revision exercise.
The poll panel is working on a pan-India system which will allow all Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to verify such electors and their children through the EC’s all India database.
For example, in a Delhi SIR exercise, there may be cases of electors whose parents were on the 2002-2004 intensive roll of some other state. The ERO in Delhi will be able to verify the same from the national EC database for the Delhi elector and use that as proof for his verification.
Given the Bihar SIR experience, it is also expected that 70% of the electors across every state will get covered in this process and not need additional documentation of proof except the extract of the electoral roll.
The ECI will look to make special efforts to reach out to the remaining electors so that their documentation process is also eased up.
With the Supreme Court having ordered that Aadhaar card be included as the 12th document, over and above the 11 documents of proof listed out by the ECI in its June 24 SIR order, the identity of the bulk of the electorate is expected to be more easily established. In the case of Bihar, the SC order on Aadhaar inclusion came well after the main enumeration period had ended.
An additional document may be required, however, in case of doubt over citizenship or to establish familial links in the state’s electoral roll
The EC deliberations come even as the poll panel continues to face considerable political criticism besides litigation in the Supreme Court over the Bihar SIR. The first shift is likely to be the enumeration form (EF) itself.
Enumeration form
ET has gathered that the ECI is planning to rework the new SIR enumeration form format to customise it more to the voter, enabling him to easily identify whether he is required to submit any documents of proof at all.
The pre-printed EF will indicate the document requirement for one or both parents, indicated either through an icon/stamp on the EF or in writing, it is gathered.
Currently, the EF, as used in Bihar, comes pre-printed with details on the elector’s name, old photograph, EPIC number, address and constituency details.
Since electors had to make this assessment on categorisation themselves in Bihar, there was confusion on documents in the early days of SIR.
This time, the ECI machinery across states has begun identification of electors who were not on the previous intensive revision roll and will reach out to both segments accordingly.
The last intensive roll
The nationwide SIR is expected to make the process hassle-free for those who may have been enrolled as a voter anywhere in the country in the 2002-2004 Intensive Revision exercise.
The poll panel is working on a pan-India system which will allow all Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to verify such electors and their children through the EC’s all India database.
For example, in a Delhi SIR exercise, there may be cases of electors whose parents were on the 2002-2004 intensive roll of some other state. The ERO in Delhi will be able to verify the same from the national EC database for the Delhi elector and use that as proof for his verification.
Given the Bihar SIR experience, it is also expected that 70% of the electors across every state will get covered in this process and not need additional documentation of proof except the extract of the electoral roll.
The ECI will look to make special efforts to reach out to the remaining electors so that their documentation process is also eased up.
With the Supreme Court having ordered that Aadhaar card be included as the 12th document, over and above the 11 documents of proof listed out by the ECI in its June 24 SIR order, the identity of the bulk of the electorate is expected to be more easily established. In the case of Bihar, the SC order on Aadhaar inclusion came well after the main enumeration period had ended.
An additional document may be required, however, in case of doubt over citizenship or to establish familial links in the state’s electoral roll
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