Electors face Form 6 and enumeration form quandary

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Image used for representational purposes only. File | Photo Credit: J. Allen Egenuse

Tarun Kumar (name changed), his mother, wife, and brother, all electors of the Kukatpally Assembly constituency, found their names missing from the draft electoral roll, with their entries marked as shifted.

Also Read | SIR: Of over a crore deletion, 4.48 lakh return; one-third additions are first-time voters

On the suggestion of the Booth Level Officer (BLO), Mr. Kumar and his wife filed Form 6 for fresh voter registration. On November 6, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced that those on the Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate (ASDD) list could have their names included by re-filing Enumeration Forms (EF).

Armed with this information, he contacted the BLO, who insisted that Form 6 should suffice, saying he had received no new information about the EF.

“My father was an ex-serviceman. We have been living at the same address for many years. While my wife and I filled Form 6 and received a new Elector’s Photo Identity Card (EPIC) on November 6, and a new polling station has been allotted, my mother and brother are yet to be included,” Mr Kumar said.

A colleague informed him of the ECI’s announcement, following which he called the BLO, who said he was unaware of the Commission’s decision to allow voters to fill in the EF again. “I want to get my mother and brother included in the electoral roll by filling in the EF again, but when the BLO himself says that he has no idea, then what can I do?” he said.

The case of Mohammed Hameed, an elector of the Yakutpura Assembly constituency, is unusual. Owing to a technical glitch, when his BLO scanned the EF on his phone, the details of a voter from Khairatabad, a completely different assembly segment in the Secunderabad parliamentary constituency, appeared on the screen. Unwilling to pursue the matter further for fear it could lead to complications, and acting on the BLO’s assurance, he filled Form 6. Only later did his cousin inform him of the ECI’s November 6 announcement allowing voters to fill in the EF again.

There are several similar cases. Mohammed Shafi and Yasmeen Begum, both residents of Sultan Shahi, also filled Form 6 before the ECI’s announcement. “Both filled Form 6 a day before the ECI said that the EF could be filled in again,” said Mohammed Akram, a relative who helped them with the process.

The ECI has sought to assure the public that no action would be taken against voters merely because they had appeared on an earlier electoral roll and subsequently submitted Form 6.

However, concerns persist, particularly because the declaration accompanying the form specifies that it is meant for first-time voters. It also warns that furnishing false information is punishable under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, with imprisonment for up to one year, or a fine, or both.

Speaking to The Hindu, academic and activist Pamaja Shaw said that, irrespective of the ECI’s assurance that no action would be taken against those who had submitted Form 6 for inclusion, the decision to initiate action rested with the ruling dispensation. “This is a mess created by the ECI. Despite assurances, how can there be two solutions for the same problem [Form 6 and filling in an EF again]? People who have voted for years have filled Form 6. The ECI should ask for a return of Form 6 and parity should be ensured,” she said.

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