Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Thursday asserted that complaints over the exclusion of names following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls would be “110 per cent resolved” before the next Lok Sabha elections, while maintaining that the Election Commission was prepared to face criticism over its functioning.
Speaking at an event at the Ahmedabad Management Association during his two-day Gujarat visit, Kumar said the SIR exercise was aimed at cleaning electoral rolls by identifying voters who had died, shifted or were duplicated, besides removing ineligible foreign nationals. Asked whether thousands of complaints arising from the revision could be addressed before the next parliamentary elections, he replied, “110 per cent.” He pointed out that an SIR had also been undertaken in 2003-04.
CEC explains appeal process
Kumar said the Election Commission, as a constitutional authority, must rely on documents while determining eligibility. In cases concerning citizenship, an applicant may be required to submit documents relating to themselves or their parents to establish eligibility as an Indian voter.
The CEC also outlined the mechanism available to people whose names do not appear on electoral rolls. An aggrieved person can first approach the Sub-Divisional Magistrate and, if the claim is rejected, appeal to the district collector. A second appeal can be made to the state Chief Electoral Officer, following which judicial remedies remain available.
Kumar said that after SIR exercises in around 12 states, election authorities had received no appeals against deletion of names. He added that he regularly monitors the revision process. Eligibility, however, remains fundamental, he said, stressing that neither the Constitution nor the Election Commission could provide relief to a person who did not fulfil the prescribed conditions for enrolment.
‘Everyone has right to criticise’
Responding to questions about sustained criticism of the Election Commission and whether it could undermine public confidence in the constitutional body, Kumar said drawing a line on criticism was neither practical nor desirable in a democracy.
“In a democracy everybody has the right to criticise. We should have stronger and stronger shoulders to take these bullets every single day,” he said, adding that any attempt to impose limits on criticism would eventually be breached.
Kumar described India’s election machinery as a vast and transparent system operating strictly under the Constitution, election laws and Election Commission directions. He said conducting a Lok Sabha election for around 90 crore voters was the world’s largest electoral exercise, involving approximately 1.8 crore personnel.
He said representatives of political parties and candidates participate at multiple stages of the process, from preparation of electoral rolls to voting and counting, providing a degree of involvement that is uncommon in many other democracies.
On concerns over electronic voting machines, Kumar reiterated that EVMs function like calculators and are not connected to the internet, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Therefore, he maintained, the machines cannot be remotely hacked.