The EC’s September 10 meeting with state election officers will focus on the readiness for a pan-India voter list revision following the Bihar exercise.
The special review aims to verify voters’ birthplaces, targeting illegal migrants and ensuring electoral integrity amid opposition allegations.
House-to-house verification and new declaration forms requiring birth details will be implemented to update and authenticate voter records ahead of upcoming elections
EC to Review Preparations for Nationwide Special Intensive Revision
The Election Commission will meet state officials to plan an intensive, house-to-house verification aimed at eliminating illegal migrants and ensuring error-free electoral rolls ahead of key elections.
Summary
The top leadership of the Election Commission will meet with state representatives next week to review the readiness for the nationwide implementation of a special, intensive revision of the voter list.
According to sources, the election authority called a meeting of its state chief electoral officers on Wednesday.
According to PTI, following Gyanesh Kumar's appointment as chief election commissioner in February, this is the third CEO meeting. However, officials stated that the preparation for a pan-India special intensive review will be discussed, making the September 10 meeting significant.
The Commission has said that after Bihar, the special revision will be carried out in the entire country.
There are indications that the exercise would commence later this year ahead of assembly elections in Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal in 2026.
The primary aim of the intensive revision is to weed out foreign illegal migrants by checking their place of birth.
The move assumes significance in the wake of a crackdown in various states on illegal foreign migrants, including from Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Eventually, "for the discharge of its constitutional mandate to protect the integrity of the electoral rolls," the poll authority will start a special, rigorous review process nationwide.
PTI reported that poll workers will conduct house-to-house verification as part of the rigorous review process to guarantee a voter list free of errors.
In response to claims from opposition parties that the EC falsified voter data in order to support the BJP, the poll panel has intensified its revision process to prevent illegal migrants from being added to the voter list.
A new 'declaration form' has been added for a group of applicants who want to move from out of state or become electors.
They will have to undertake that they were born in India before July 1, 1987 and provide any document establishing date of birth and/or place of birth.
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One of the options listed in the declaration form is that they were born in India between July 1, 1987 and December 2, 2004.
Additionally, they will need to provide documentation pertaining to their parents' birthdate and area of residence.
However, there has been criticism over the alteration of the Bihar voters list. Opposition parties assert that millions of eligible individuals will not be able to vote due to a lack of documentation.
Reportedly, the EC has been asked by the Supreme Court to make sure that no eligible person is left behind.
Following their states' most recent special intensive revision, some state chief electoral offices have begun releasing voter lists.
The website of Delhi CEO has the 2008 voters' list when the last intensive revision took place in the national capital. In Uttarakhand, the last special intensive revision took place in 2006 and that year's electoral roll is now on the state CEO website.
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The last special intensive revision in states will serve as cut off dates as 2003 voters list of Bihar is being used by the EC for intensive revision.
Most of the states carried out revision of electoral rolls between 2002 and 2004.
With PTI input
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