Kerala SIR: electors should be summoned for hearings only in unavoidable cases, say political parties

Political parties have asked the Election Commission of India (EC) to ensure that voters are called for hearings only in unavoidable cases under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls in Kerala.

The demand came at the weekly political party meeting organized by Chief Electoral Officer (Kerala) Rathan U. Kelkar. Political parties have raised the issue where voters on the ‘no mapping’ list will be notified widely and where ‘logical inconsistencies’ or inconsistencies are detected in the entries.

There are just over 19.32 lakh voters in Kerala in the ‘no mapping’ list, meaning their details cannot be linked to the 2002 SIR list. Of this, hearing notices were issued to 17.71 lakh voters and served in 18,915 cases. While Kannur has the highest number of notifications at 3,632, Thiruvananthapuram (314) has the lowest number of notifications.

MK Rahman, representing the Congress party, said at Saturday’s meeting: “There should be a provision to avoid hearings in cases where the voter has submitted sufficient documents and these are examined at the booth level officer (BLO) or election registrar/assistant election registrar (ERO/AERO) level and found satisfactory.”

Political parties wanted the EC to issue detailed instructions to EROs/AEROs so that hearings are limited to unavoidable cases. They also reiterated their request to allow authorized representatives on behalf of bedridden, elderly and overseas voters to attend the hearing.

Mr Kelkar said notices would be generated for the cases of all voters on the ‘no mapping’ list, but it was up to ERO/AERO to decide whether to call for a hearing. “They are the Constitutional authority and they decide whether a hearing is necessary or not. However, we have instructed them to hold the hearings without disturbing the public,” Kelkar said. “The decision as to whether representatives can attend on behalf of a voter who cannot attend the hearing in person lies with the EROs/AEROs. We can only guide them,” he added.

EROs/AEROs have been asked not to generate notifications in case of ‘logical inconsistencies’ (inconsistencies) such as name mismatches or age differences. These can be resolved through a commitment by the BLO. “We have provided ERO/AERO with a copy of the undertaking so that the BLOs can undertake to close the matter,” he said.

Political parties also urged the EC to ensure that family members are grouped together in the electoral rolls. Many cases have come to light scattered across polling stations, they said. CPI(M)’s DK Murali asked the EC to adopt a “practical approach” and give confidence to political parties to carry out the SIR.