2002 roll confusion clouds SIR as EC asks voters to submit forms anyway

Bengaluru: One of the biggest challenges facing voters during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is tracing details from the 2002 electoral rolls to complete the new enumeration forms, especially for those enrolled after 2002 or their descendants.Responding to widespread concerns on Wednesday, chief electoral officer V Anbukkumar said voters who cannot locate their names or their family’s names in the 2002 electoral rolls should still fill in the information available, sign the enumeration form and submit it.Referring to the Representation of the People Act, Anbukkumar said each such case would be examined individually by the electoral registration officer (ERO).

“If a voter is unable to fill in the 2002 roll details, they should nevertheless fill in whatever information they have, sign the enumeration form and submit it,” he said.He clarified that submitting the form would ensure the voter’s inclusion in the draft electoral rolls to be published on Aug 5. The draft rolls, he said, are not the final electoral rolls, which will be published on Oct 7. If discrepancies are detected, election officials will contact the voter and seek supporting documents before including the name in the final rolls.

Documents may be sought during the claims and objections period from Aug 5 to Sept 4, while claims will be disposed of by Oct 3.The clarification comes amid growing confusion among voters struggling to locate their names in the old electoral rolls.Arun B, a voter from Udupi, said, “I do not know if my name was on the 2002 list. The voter list is in Kannada, and I have not found it yet. The teacher said to fill in whatever I know, sign the form and submit it.”On X, another voter asked, “What if a person or their relatives’ names are not registered in the 2002 list? Is it mandatory to fill Part 2 then?”Another voter said there was no record of him or his family in the 2002 electoral rolls.The SIR exercise entered its second week on Tuesday. While more than 80% of enumeration forms have been distributed across Karnataka, fewer than 10% have been filled and digitised so far.Many voters have also struggled to find contact details of their Booth Level Officers (BLOs) and EROs on the Election Commission website, while verifying entries in lengthy Kannada electoral rolls has made the process difficult for many.