SIR Kerala: Hearing notices to be issued to 19.32 lakh people

Thiruvananthapuram: As part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the voters list, hearing notices will be issued a week in advance to 19.32 lakh individuals who have so far failed to provide the required details for inclusion in the rolls.

This is intended to give applicants sufficient time to organise the necessary documents for the hearing. While Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) will determine the specific dates, Booth Level Officers (BLOs) will deliver the notices seven days in advance.

EROs may also decide to conduct hearings at the residences of bedridden patients and citizens above 85 years of age. There will be no online facility for hearings. Although a two-month window has been allotted for verification and hearings, the process is expected to be completed within a month. Political parties may also appoint Booth Level Assistants (BLAs) at the constituency level.

Taking note of widespread complaints that members of the same family have been scattered across different booths following the creation of 5,003 new booths, Chief Electoral Officer Ratan U Kelkar said measures would be taken to consolidate family members into a single booth in the final list. Details of the new booths will be published on the official website.

Excluded members to turn new voters
Individuals who have been wrongfully excluded from the draft list for any reason can be reinstated only as new voters. They must fill out Form 6 and submit an affidavit to be added to the rolls. Collectors and EROs will be instructed to accord priority to such applications.

During a meeting with the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), political parties argued that it is unfair to require citizens to apply as new voters when the errors leading to their exclusion occurred at the official level. In response, the CEO asked political parties to provide EROs with lists of those wrongfully excluded.

The State Election Commission has already shared with political parties the lists of deceased voters, untraceable individuals, and those who have permanently relocated, and has also published these lists on its official website. The CEO further assured that only those confirmed ineligible with 100 per cent certainty would be removed, and that everyone otherwise eligible would be included. Representatives from various political parties attended the meeting.

Help desks at village offices
The Public Administration Department has issued an order to establish help desks at village offices to assist eligible citizens missing from the draft list. Each help desk, located either at the village office or a nearby convenient building, will be staffed by two officials.

To identify eligible voters in colonies, hilly terrains, coastal belts, and other backward areas, the services of Anganwadi workers, ASHA workers, and Kudumbashree members may be utilised. Additional staff from other departments may be deployed if necessary, and awareness campaigns will be conducted in educational institutions.

‘No Mapping’: Hearings required only in special cases
Not everyone categorised under ‘No Mapping’ in the SIR draft list will be required to attend a formal hearing. If such individuals submit any one of the 12 documents prescribed by the Election Commission to their BLO and the Returning Officer is satisfied upon verification, a hearing will not be necessary.

Under these guidelines, those under the age of 45 must submit any one of the specified documents along with a document belonging to their father or mother. Those above 45 need only provide their own documentation. Applicants submitting an Aadhaar card must also provide one additional supporting document. Only those unable to furnish accurate documentation as directed will be required to appear for a hearing before the Returning Officer.