Transparency maintained with political parties at every stage of SIR: Delhi CEO
New Delhi, May 27
With the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls beginning in the national capital from June 30, Delhi's Chief Electoral officer Ashok Kumar on Wednesday asserted that political parties are involved at every stage of the process and transparency is maintained with all of them.
Talking to IANS, the CEO said: "At the level of the Booth Level Officer (BLO), there are two Booth Level Agents (BLAs), and at the level of the Assistant Returning Officer level, there is one Booth Level Agent. At our level, too, we conduct meetings with political parties."
Booth Level Agents are representatives appointed by recognised political parties during the conduct of the electoral process.
Ashok Kumar added: "After the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) issues a notice following draft publication, its information will be given to political parties. Also, they will be informed about the disposal of the notice."
"Therefore, we will ensure transparency with the political parties in every way," he asserted.
Welcoming the Supreme Court's verdict on the SIR, the Delhi CEO said: "It is true that the entire process of SIR is conducted within the legal framework. The Election Commission has made its guidelines with full transparency."
"The involvement of political parties is clearly mentioned in the guidelines of the Election Commission," he said.
Ashok Kumar also spoke in detail about the SIR process that is going to be conducted in the capital.
"The actual process of SIR in Delhi will begin from June 30, where BLOs will visit houses and give the enumeration forms to the voters, which will be filled by the latter and submitted to the BLOs."
The CEO said that in case voters are not at home at the time of the visit, BLOs wll make a maximum of three visits and if voters still remain unavailable, they leave the form at the voters' residence.
"Another option with the electors is they can download as well as submit the form online," he said.
However, Ashol Kumar mentioned that when voters submit the forms physically, BLOs can counter sign on it. "It would be an acknowledgement that the voters have furnished information and submitted to the BLO."
Moreover, the Delhi CEO said that if any elector has any confusion regarding filling out the form, the BLO's name and number will be provided at the top of the enumeration form and they can immediately contact and clarify.
"We have also made videos to explain to people how to find the details of a voter's parents or grandparents in case of migration from other states and link oneself to them, or migration within Delhi. It will also address women who migrated to Delhi after marriage," he said.
He added that if the electoral body comes across any other concern related to voters, more such "clarification videos" will be made to address them.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Finally some clarity! As someone who moved to Delhi from Bangalore after marriage, I was always worried about getting my name registered properly. The clarification videos for women who migrated after marriage are a thoughtful addition. Let's hope the BLOs don't become lazy and actually make those three visits when needed. Also glad they kept the option for online submission for tech-savvy folks like me. 🙏
Having political party agents at booth level and assistant returning officer level is good for transparency. But I have some concerns: how will they ensure that the Booth Level Agents from political parties don't misuse their position to favor certain groups or harass voters? The system is only as good as its implementation. I hope the Election Commission has strict monitoring mechanisms in place. Otherwise, it's just another bureaucratic exercise. 🤔
As an expat working in Delhi, I find this level of transparency commendable. In many countries, electoral roll updates are often opaque. The fact that BLOs will provide their names and numbers on forms for queries shows they are trying to be accessible. However, the real test will be in October when the SIR actually begins - will all these promises translate into action on the ground? Fingers crossed! 🤞
Good intentions but ground reality is different. In my area, booth level agents from one political party often dominate and intimidate others. Also, three visits for a form is impractical - most people work during day and BLOs come at odd hours. Why not have evening or weekend special drives? The online option is good but many poor and elderly voters don't have internet access or digital literacy. Need more inclusive approach, not just lip service. 😕
K We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.