Draft voter list was released on Tuesday after Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in three states including West Bengal. In this, names of about 58 lakh people were removed. This is a very big number and it is natural that this can create an atmosphere of panic among the people. But the biggest question is that of the 58 lakh people whose names have been deleted, have their voting rights been taken away forever? What are their options now?
First of all, it is important to understand that all these were not living or ‘legitimate’ voters. The Election Commission said that during the SIR, a total of 24.16 lakh names were found which are no longer in this world. They had to be cut. But the most shocking figure is that of those people who were found missing. The Election Commission said that there are 12.20 lakh people whose identity was not found during verification. The Commission could not find them. 19.88 lakh voters were found who were not present at their addresses. May have gone out due to employment or other reasons. There were 1.38 lakh names which were recorded more than once or incorrectly.
It is clear that out of 58 lakh, about 24 lakh names are of the deceased, on which there is no dispute. The real concern is for those 32 lakh people who are probably alive but their names have been left out of the list. After all, what will happen to them now?
Understand what you have to do from the questions and answers
What will happen now?
The road is not closed. The Election Commission has clearly kept the options of reform and restoration open. This is not a final list but a draft list, which means that changes are possible in it. If someone’s name has been struck off incorrectly, they have options.
Is there any option left?
You can apply for adding your name again. For this you will have to show documents. The only condition is that you have to prove that you live at the same address and are a valid voter.
What can be done now?
The Commission has not only deleted the names but has also given people a chance to express their views. The hearing will start immediately after the release of the draft voter list, i.e. within the next 7 days. One ERO i.e. Electoral Registration Officer and two Assistant Electoral Registration Officers have been appointed for the hearing. Where you cast your vote, they will hear the same.
What if you are unable to attend the hearing due to being busy?
Often people are not able to attend official dates. According to your input, the Commission has also taken care of this. If a voter is not able to appear on the day of hearing fixed by the Commission, he will be given an alternative time. This provision ensures that no citizen’s vote is cut off just because he was busy one day.
How to check your name? understand step by step
Step 1: Visit the website: You have to visit the official website of CEO (Chief Electoral Officer) West Bengal:
Step 2: Enter information: After logging in to the website, you will have to enter two things. Your EPIC number (Voter ID card number). Captcha code visible on the screen.
Step 3: View Status: As soon as you search, you will know whether your name is in the draft voter list or not. Apart from this, the Commission has also released a separate list of deleted voters. You can also directly check in that list whether your name is included in the deleted ones (dead, shifted, duplicate etc.).
Enumeration Form and List
The names of those who had filled the enumeration form are included in this draft list. If someone had not filled the form, their names are available on the website as per booth-based data. This means that the process has been made data-driven. The Commission had done ground level verification to identify dead, duplicate and shifted voters, the results of which have come out today.
