The Election Commission of India (EC) has stepped in to provide major relief to more than 1.3 lakh voters in Kolkata. These voters had been incorrectly served with hearing notices after a technical malfunction in a crucial election management application failed to display their names.
Technical Glitch Caused Widespread Confusion
The issue stemmed from the Booth Level Officer (BLO) application, a digital tool used for voter list management. Officials confirmed that the names of these 1.3 lakh+ individuals, while physically present in the 2002 Supplementary Integrated Roll (SIR), were not visible in the app due to a linkage problem. This led to them being erroneously marked as 'unmapped' voters.
An official explained that although the voters had valid self or progeny linkage records in the 2002 SIR, this connection was not reflected in the app's data. Consequently, BLOs using the digital interface could not locate them, even though their details were verifiable in the hard copy of the 2002 SIR list.
EC's Directive: Cancel Notices and Re-verify
Taking swift action, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of West Bengal, Manoj Agarwal, announced the Commission's decision. All hearing notices that were generated solely because of this non-mapping error in the app will be cancelled immediately.
The EC has instructed Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and District Election Officers (DEOs) to verify the affected voters' details against the physical extract of the 2002 SIR. Once verified, they are authorised to upload the necessary documents to officially close these cases.
"BLOs are to reverify and upload photo and documents," stated CEO Agarwal, outlining the corrective process. This step is crucial to reinstating the voters' status without unnecessary hassle.
Exception for Discrepancies
The EC has also outlined a clear exception to this blanket relief. In instances where a voter's details show discrepancies when compared with the hard copy of the 2002 SIR list, the originally scheduled hearing will still need to be attended. This measure ensures the integrity of the electoral roll is maintained while correcting a technical error.
This move by the Election Commission is seen as a necessary intervention to protect voters' rights and prevent disenfranchisement due to a software issue. It underscores the importance of cross-verifying digital data with physical records in the election process.
