Election Commission claims adequate time given for electoral roll corrections
Delhi: The Election Commission of India (ECI) on Saturday claimed that it provided adequate time and opportunity for electors and political parties to rectify electoral roll errors, but parties failed to examine voter lists during the designated review periods.
The commission said it operates a multi-layered decentralised election system for Parliament and Assembly elections as mandated by law. Electoral Registration Officers, who serve as Sub-Divisional Magistrate-level officers, prepare and finalise electoral rolls with assistance from Booth Level Officers under ECI guidelines.
Following the draft electoral roll publication, the ECI said adequate time was given by sharing digital and physical copies with all political parties and publishing them on the commission website. A full one-month period follows for electors and political parties to file claims and objections before final electoral rolls are published.
After final publication, the commission again distributes digital and physical copies to all recognised political parties and publishes them on the official website. A two-tiered appeals process allows first appeals to District Magistrates and second appeals to Chief Electoral Officers in each state and union territory.
ECI says adequate time given but parties missed correction opportunities
The commission emphasised that utmost transparency characterises electoral roll preparation according to established laws, rules and guidelines. Electoral Registration Officers and Booth Level Officers are responsible for ensuring the correctness of the electoral roll within this decentralised framework.
However, some political parties and their Booth Level Agents failed to examine electoral rolls at appropriate times and did not report errors to Sub-Divisional Magistrates, Electoral Registration Officers, District Election Officers or Chief Electoral Officers. Recent complaints from political parties and individuals about electoral roll errors, including rolls from previous preparation cycles, prompted the commission’s statement.
The ECI stated that appropriate timing for raising electoral roll concerns would have occurred during the designated claims and objections periods. This process specifically enables corrections before elections, and had parties raised genuine issues through proper channels during review periods, concerned officials could have corrected mistakes before elections.
The Election Commission of India said it continues to welcome scrutiny of electoral rolls by political parties and individual electors. Such scrutiny helps Sub-Divisional Magistrates and Electoral Registration Officers remove errors and purify electoral rolls, which has always been the commission’s objective.
