NEW DELHI: Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala on Tuesday alleged that the Election Commission’s centralised ECINet software was restricting the powers of ground-level election officials and could lead to the exclusion of eligible voters during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.Surjewala cited the Maharashtra chief electoral officer’s concerns over ECINet and alleged that the system was limiting the ability of Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to independently resolve discrepancies in voter records.The Maharashtra CEO had written to the Election Commission seeking changes to ECINet, including greater discretion for EROs in dealing with logical discrepancies and provisions to ease requirements for certain voters. The request came amid the ongoing SIR exercise in the state.
ECI now officially stands for Excluding Citizens Intentionally: Surjewala
21.1% voters missing from Maharashtra draft rollCiting the Indian Express Report, Surjewala also flagged the 21.1% reduction in the number of electors in Maharashtra’s draft electoral roll following the SIR exercise. The draft roll contained around 7.72 crore electors, compared with about 9.79 crore in the previous roll.The reduction does not mean that all these voters have been permanently deleted. Maharashtra election authorities have said the excluded voters can seek inclusion through the claims process, with the reasons for non-inclusion including voters being absent, shifted, dead or duplicate entries.EC moves to review ECINet system
Share your thoughts in the comments
Be respectful · TOI community guidelines
The EC has meanwhile ordered a review of the ECINet system amid concerns over its functioning during the SIR process. A committee headed by a senior deputy election commissioner, with an independent expert has been tasked with examining whether the system complies with the relevant laws and rules.The poll panel has also eased the procedure for voters who receive notices during the SIR process. Under the revised arrangement, Booth Level Officers can visit voters’ homes, collect supporting documents and upload them on ECINet for the ERO to take a final decision, instead of routinely requiring voters to appear in person.