Mumbai Citizens Protest SIR In Goregaon, Seek Restoration Of Eligible Voters & CEC Gyanesh Kumar's Resignation

Around 120 citizens gathered in Mumbai’s Goregaon demanding withdrawal of the SIR exercise, restoration of eligible voters missing from electoral rolls and CEC Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation. Protesters also sought an inquiry into alleged fraudulent use of Form 7. The Election Commission says voters missing from the draft can seek inclusion.

Mumbai Citizens Protest SIR In Goregaon, Seek Restoration Of Eligible Voters & CEC Gyanesh Kumar's Resignation | File Pic

Mumbai: Citizens gathered in Goregaon on Thursday evening demanding the withdrawal of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, restoration of names allegedly deleted from the rolls and the resignation of Election Commissioner of India Gyanesh Kumar.

Around 120 protesters, members of the Samvidhan Jagar Yatra Samiti, Bombay Catholic Sabha (BCS) and Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, also demanded an inquiry into allegations that names were being illegally deleted from electoral rolls through Form 7, and sought FIRs against those found to have filed such forms fraudulently.

The government has maintained that the deleted names include those of deceased persons and voters who have shifted their residences.

Protesters question scale of deletions

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Arvind Nigale, a member of the Goregaon unit of the Samvidhan Jagar Yatra Samiti, said there was no evidence to support the claim that all the deleted names belonged to eligible voters, but questioned the scale of the deletions.

“We are people who obey the Constitutional law. We will not support any unjust claims. Delete the names of people who are dead and those who are not citizens, but our concerns have not been addressed so far. People who have voted two or three times in earlier elections have found their names to be deleted,” said Nigale.

Questions raised over Form 7

Protesters also raised questions over the role of Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in the collection of Form 7, which is used to seek deletion of a voter's name from the electoral roll.

“Third parties are filling up Form 7 for deletion of names. There are serious allegations that this is being done fraudulently,” said Alex Dsouza, vice-president, Socio-Civic and Political, BCS.

Nigale also alleged that people who had voted in previous elections were being asked to fill Form 6, which is meant for inclusion of new voters. “Though this form will be modified, there is a huge lacuna in the Standard Operating Procedure that needs to be changed,” he said.

Claims over SIR exercise

Dolphy Dsouza, spokesperson for the BCS, claimed that more than 20 million names had been deleted through “opaque methods” during the SIR exercise in Maharashtra. “Many of our citizens have been issued notices and have been called for verification of their documentation,” he said.

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On the government's contention that eligible voters whose names have been deleted have access to a redressal mechanism, Nigale questioned how many voters would actually approach the authorities.

“How many are diligent enough to go and complain? Recent elections, especially in West Bengal, where voting continued for hours after the closing time, raise questions about the process. We are not affiliated to any political organisation and are only raising concerns about the process. At no time in our history have we done such an intensive revision of electoral rolls,” he said.

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