EC slams parties for questioning past Electoral Rolls, says intervention should have happened during 'Claims and Objections' period

The Election Commission of India on Saturday slammed parties and individuals for raising issues about errors in the electoral rolls of the past, adding that the provision for Claims and Objections period has been given to raise any issue with the Electoral Rolls.

The ECI added that it would have enabled SDM EROs to correct the mistakes, if genuine, before elections if such errors were pointed out during the stipulated time.

"Recently, some Political Parties and individuals are raising issues about errors in the Electoral Rolls, including those prepared in the past. The appropriate time to raise any issue with the Electoral Rolls would have been during the Claims and Objections period of that phase, which is precisely the objective behind sharing the Electoral Rolls with all Political Parties and the Candidates. Had these issues been raised at the right time through the right channels, it would have enabled the concerned SDM EROs to correct the mistakes, if genuine, before those elections," ECI said in a press release.

In a 10-point release, the ECI said that the election system for Parliament and Assembly elections in India is a multi-layered decentralised construct, adding that as per the guidelines, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), who are SDM-level officers, prepare and finalise the Electoral Rolls (ER) with the help of Booth Level Officers (BLOs). EROS and BLOs undertake the responsibility for the correctness of Electoral Rolls.

The polling body added that the draft Electoral Rolls, digital and physical copies, are shared with all political parties and put on the ECI website for anyone to see.

"Following the publication of the draft ER, a full one-month period is available with the Electors and Political Parties for the filing of Claims and Objections before the final ER is published," the polling body said.

The physical and digital copies of the final ER are also sent to political parties, EC said, adding that a two-tiered process of appeals is available wherein the first appeal maybe preferred with the District Magistrate (DM) and the second appeal with the CEO of every State/UT.

Finally, the body said it continues to welcome the scrutiny of Electoral Rolls by Political Parties and any Elector. It will help SDMs/EROs to remove the errors and purify the Electoral Rolls which has always been the objective of ECI.