Warring writes to Amit Shah over first-time voters allegedly 'denied enrolment in Punjab'

Punjab Congress president and Ludhiana MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring on Tuesday wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, alleging that first-time voters in Punjab were being turned away while seeking enrolment during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

Warring claimed that young men and women from several Assembly constituencies who sought registration through Form 6 were being asked to establish the electoral-roll status of their parents or grandparents during the previous intensive revision conducted more than two decades ago.

Seeks Shah’s intervention

In his letter, Warring urged Shah to intervene as Union Home Minister, arguing that questions relating to the determination of citizenship fell within the Centre’s domain under the Citizenship Act, 1955.

He asked the Ministry of Home Affairs to specify the documents that would be accepted as proof of Indian citizenship by all authorities, including the Election Commission. Warring also sought clarity on whether eligible applicants producing documents such as birth certificates or school records could be issued citizenship certificates.

The Congress leader argued that Article 326 of the Constitution makes citizenship, attainment of 18 years of age and ordinary residence relevant conditions for voter eligibility.

Questions Form 6 process

Warring maintained that electoral registration was a continuing right and referred to provisions of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, governing the inclusion of eligible citizens in electoral rolls.

He also pointed to the four qualifying dates available every year for voter registration, arguing that the SIR exercise should not prevent eligible first-time voters from entering the electoral roll through the continuous updation process.

Warring had earlier raised concerns over what he described as complexities in the new Form 6 process and sought suspension of the SIR in Punjab until the Assembly elections.

September deadline

The Punjab Congress chief said the Election Commission had indicated that an additional declaration would not be required after completion of the revision exercise. He argued, however, that this did not resolve the position of applicants whose claims had already been turned down before the September 12 deadline for claims and objections.

“The young people turned away are outside the roll to be finalised next month, and that roll is the one Punjab takes into 2027,” Warring said.

Punjab is scheduled to hold Assembly elections in 2027, putting the revision of electoral rolls at the centre of an increasingly contentious political debate.

Citizenship proof questioned

Warring also referred to the Ministry of External Affairs’ position on the evidentiary status of an Indian passport and questioned what documentation would conclusively establish citizenship for electoral purposes.

He sought a uniform notification specifying the documents that could be accepted as proof of citizenship by government authorities, including the Election Commission.

The allegations regarding first-time voters being turned away are Warring’s claims and have not been independently established. The Election Commission’s response to the specific assertions made in his letter was not immediately available.