EC clarifies what to do if name missing from draft electoral roll
Kolkata: The Election Commission has reassured voters that there is no need to panic if their names do not appear in the draft electoral roll. The Commission clarified that the draft list is only a preliminary document and provides sufficient opportunity for corrections, inclusions, and objections before the final voter list is published.
Once the draft electoral roll is released, voters are advised to carefully verify their personal details. If a name is missing, an application for inclusion (form 6) and Annexure iv can be submitted within the specified time frame, said the Special Roll Observer Subrata Gupta.
He added: “This is a very common procedure” and asked citizens not to get panicked. This can be done online through the Election Commission’s official website or offline by contacting the local Booth Level Officer (BLO) or the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO). Applicants must submit the required form along with valid proof of identity and address.
In case of errors such as incorrect spelling, wrong address, or mistakes in age and other details, voters can apply for correction using the form 8. Similarly, objections can be raised if the names of deceased persons or individuals who have permanently shifted continue to appear on the list.
Meanwhile, around 200 members of a forum of booth-level officers (BLOs) held a demonstration outside the West Bengal CEO’s office here on Tuesday, protesting against the alleged deletion of thousands of genuine voters in the draft electoral roll under the SIR. Members of the ‘BLO Oikyo Manch’ (BLO Unity Platform) raised slogans against the Election Commission, alleging that the poll panel has “nexus with the BJP government at the Centre”.
“The EC, despite repeated protests by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, went ahead with the draconian Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise to disenfranchise thousands of genuine voters,” Sikha Dutta, an ‘anganwadi’ worker and a member of the forum, claimed at the protest site.
