Voter list must be made clean

It is estimated that more than 25 lakh voters will be removed from the state’s voter list once the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is completed. These are people whose names were included in the existing voter list. Voters are being removed due to reasons such as duplication, death, permanent change of residence, and other ineligibilities. The Election Commission will soon publish the list of deleted voters on its website. The existing voter list contains 2,78,59,855 voters. According to figures available till the other day, 25,07,675 voters could not be contacted or had not submitted the enumeration form, and they are likely to be removed. All political parties except the BJP have opposed the removal of such a large number of voters from the list.

At a meeting called by the Election Commission, representatives of various political parties demanded that the list containing the names and details of the removed voters should be published and that sufficient time should be given to verify it. At the same time, political parties can ensure that no eligible voter is excluded if they choose to do so. They only need to submit valid proof before the SIR deadline of December 18. Not only political parties, but individuals can also submit applications on their own. If this is done, their names will be included in the draft voter list to be published on the 23rd. During the objection period to the draft list, submission of Form 7 along with proof will help include their names in the final voter list. The final voter list will be published on February 21, 2026.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s main allegation against the BJP is that it wins elections by including ineligible voters in the voter list and carrying out vote rigging. As evidence, he has pointed out errors in voter lists from states like Haryana and Bihar during press conferences. To address the issues raised by Rahul Gandhi, the voter list must be revised in a timely and error-free manner. This is why the Central Election Commission introduced and is implementing the Special Intensive Revision process. It is contradictory that political parties, including the Congress, oppose this process while also alleging problems in the voter list. Saying something is wrong and opposing the steps taken to correct it is not fair.

Earlier, opposition parties had questioned and criticised the voting machines. After the intervention of the Supreme Court, experts confirmed the reliability of voting machines, and candidates were given the right to seek a re-election by depositing money if they had doubts. This reduced complaints about voting machines. Similarly, once the Special Intensive Revision is completed, allegations of vote rigging are also likely to reduce. Who can argue that dead voters, duplicate entries, and other ineligible names should remain on the voter list? A clean and accurate voter list will strengthen and enhance the beauty of democracy.