Election Commission / EC's reply to the question of error in voter list, said- 'If the issue was raised at the right time...'

Election Commission: The Election Commission recently responded to the opposition's questions on the issue of errors in the voter list and clarified that if these issues had been raised at the right time, the errors could have been corrected. The Commission stressed that the process of preparing the voter list is completely transparent and all political parties are involved in it. In this article, we will understand this process in detail and know what stand the Commission has taken on this issue.

Process of preparing voter list

Preparing voter list for Parliament and Assembly elections in India is a complex and multi-level process. Its responsibility is entrusted to Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), who are usually SDM level officers. These officers are assisted by Booth Level Officers (BLOs), who ensure the accuracy of the voter list at the local level. This process is divided into the following stages:

Creation of draft voter list: A preliminary voter list is prepared, which includes the details of the voters.

Public publication and objection time: The draft list is made available to all recognised political parties in digital and physical form. It is also uploaded on the Election Commission website for public viewing.

Claims and objections: After the draft list is released, voters and political parties are given a month's time in which they can file claims or objections to correct the mistakes.

Publication of final list: After resolving all objections and claims, the final voter list is prepared and again made available to political parties and on the website.

Claim of transparency

The Election Commission stressed on the transparency of its process, saying that both the draft and final versions of the voter list are publicly available. Copies of these are given to all recognised political parties. Apart from this, common citizens can also view it through the Commission's website. This ensures that there is no ambiguity in the process.

The Commission also clarified that if any mistake occurs, there is a provision of appeal at two levels for its correction:

First appeal: To the District Magistrate (DM).

Second appeal: To the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the state or union territory.

Opposition's questions and Commission's answer

Opposition parties and some individuals have recently raised the issue of errors in the old and new voter lists. On this, the Commission said that these issues should have been raised at the time when claims and objections were sought on the draft list. According to the Commission, some political parties and their booth level agents (BLAs) did not check the voter list at the right time, due to which the errors could not be revealed. The Commission stressed that if these issues had been raised at the right time and through the proper channel, the concerned officials could have corrected them.

Commission's appeal: Cooperate, correct mistakes

The Election Commission has appealed to all political parties and voters to regularly check the voter list and immediately highlight any mistake. The Commission said that it is committed to making the voter list more accurate and reliable. This is not only an administrative responsibility but also an important step to strengthen democracy.