EC notices to nearly 10 lakh TN voters over errors in electoral roll revision

 

 

 

THE Election Commission of India has initiated action against nearly 10 lakh voters in Tamil Nadu for failing to provide accurate or complete information during the recently concluded Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Notices have been issued seeking explanations and additional documents to ensure that eligible voters are not excluded from the final voter list. The SIR process in Tamil Nadu commenced on November 4 and concluded on December 14. As part of the exercise, the Election Commission undertook a comprehensive verification of voter data to identify cases of death, duplicate registrations, untraceable voters and those who had permanently relocated. Based on this verification, around 97 lakh names were removed from the draft electoral rolls across the state. During the revision, voters were required to fill out SIR forms with specific details.

 

One key requirement was that if a voter or their relatives had been included in the electoral rolls in 2002 or 2005, the names of such relatives needed to be clearly mentioned in the forms. However, in nearly 10 lakh cases, voters either failed to provide the required details or filled the forms incorrectly. As a result, the Election Commission has begun issuing notices to these voters, asking them to submit clarifications along with supporting documents. To facilitate compliance, the Commission has indicated that a Permanent Residence Certificate may be submitted as a valid supporting document. Acting on this directive, the Tamil Nadu Government has put special arrangements in place. The Revenue Secretary has issued a circular to all district collectors outlining simplified procedures for issuing the necessary certificates.