Mumbai : Maharashtra’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), S. Chockalingam, has requested the Election Commission to make four specific changes to the ECINet software. This request pertains to the ‘notice phase’ of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in the state. The Maharashtra CEO has specifically sought greater authority for Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) in certain matters. Two Election Commissioners have also supported similar demands.

It is noteworthy that Maharashtra is currently in the notice phase of the SIR. In a letter to the Election Commission, CEO S. Chockalingam stated that EROs should be granted greater autonomy to make decisions following hearings in cases involving ‘logical discrepancies.’

During the SIR, the ECINet software attempts to link a voter’s record with the records of their parents or grandparents as listed in the previous SIR electoral roll. In some instances, a ‘logical discrepancy’ arises when the information does not match.

Examples include discrepancies in parents’ names or mismatches in age-related data. Such a discrepancy does not imply that the individual is ineligible to vote; it simply indicates a mismatch between the information present in the records.

The Maharashtra CEO has requested that EROs be provided with more options when processing notices issued during the SIR. Under the law, the responsibility for the electoral roll lies with the ERO, and there is one ERO designated for each assembly constituency.

EROs are typically officers of the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) rank. Their duties include preparing the electoral roll, hearing claims and objections, and deciding which names should be included in or removed from the list. Another demand made by the Maharashtra CEO is that if an Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) is satisfied with the documents submitted by an individual, they should have the authority to exempt that person from a personal hearing.

A statement issued following a meeting of the full Election Commission on September 26 addressed some of Maharashtra’s demands. The Commission authorized EROs to exempt individuals from personal hearings in cases where ‘logical discrepancies’ were found in their records.

The Commission also stated that several upgrades have been made to the portal over the past few months based on suggestions received from the states’ Chief Electoral Officers. If field officials require any further flexibility, it will also be implemented.

According to reports, the demand to grant greater authority to EROs had previously been raised by Election Commissioners Vivek Joshi and Sukhbir Singh Sandhu. On August 14, Sandhu noted that statutory officials associated with the electoral roll—CEOs, DEOs, and EROs—had complained about being unable to fully discharge their responsibilities. According to them, their authority was being curtailed due to centralized control over ERONet exercised at the DG (IT) level.

Maharashtra’s draft electoral roll was published on August 31, showing a 21.1 percent reduction in the state’s total number of voters. The final electoral roll is scheduled for release on November 16. Maharashtra CEO S. Chockalingam told NDTV that over two crore names were removed from the state’s draft electoral roll during the SIR (Special Intensive Revision) process. According to him, the majority of these removals involved voters who had either passed away or relocated.

Report : Abhijit Tushar Bhatt (Political Editor)