Will a special drive launched by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to enrol left-out and first-time voters apply to the 2.2 million people whose appeals against deletion are pending before appellate tribunals?
A senior poll panel official said they won’t be able to access the drive. But confusion exists among DEOs and EROs. “The issue of whether a person whose case is pending before the appellate tribunal can apply with Form 6 in the special drive wasn’t discussed in the meeting. “If the persons whose cases are pending before the appellate tribunals cannot file fresh applications, then 2.2 million voters will be left out from the special drive. If they are allowed to file fresh applications by filing up form 6, then what would be the necessity of the appellate tribunals? They would become virtually defunct as all 2.2 million will file fresh applications,” said another DEO.
There is no clarity on this,” said a DEO. HT spoke to at least three DEOs who said the poll panel hadn’t issued any written clarification.
Congress seeks clarity from Election Commission
The Congress has written a letter to ECI seeking clarification. “The ECI has created this confusion.
“Shri @subhankar_cong, President, WBPCC has written a letter to the @ECISVEEP today, seeking clarification on the whether 22.21 lakh appellants with appeals pending before the Appellate Tribunals in West Bengal, would be allowed to submit Form 6 for re-enrolment during “Special drive” for enrolment being initiated in West Bengal,” the West Bengal Congress wrote on X. It should cancel the electoral roll and prepare a fresh electoral roll by going from house-to-house for ground verification,” said Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya, a CPI(M) leader.
