Maharashtra Electoral Rolls Special Intensive Revision Document List Confusion English Marathi

As the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls gathers momentum in the city, confusion over two lists of documents — one in Marathi and another in English — that have to be submitted for verification, has led to difficulties in filling enumeration forms.

Activist Sughosh Joshi said, “The list of SIR documents declared by the Chief Election Officer of Maharashtra in English does not match the list in Marathi as it mentions incorrect documents. The ones in Marathi are correct and match the actual ECI instructions. I think it is very important since BLO visits have already started… The English version has documents like ration card and bank pass book which are not prescribed by ECI.”

Deputy Collector Minal Kalaskar said, “The declared list of documents for SIR verification are only for reference. There can be more documents that help in proving the eligibility of voters as citizens and their ages.”

Kalaskar said ration card can help establish the relationship of electors of the same family, but does not mention age so, it will not be accepted as a single document of citizenship or age to decide a voter’s eligibility. She added that a bank passbook with a photograph and address can be considered as identity proof.

“Voters have to submit documents that clearly help verify their identity as citizens of the country and are of 18 years to be eligible for voting,” she said.

According to the ECI, “For electors whose enumeration forms have not been returned, BLOs may identify a probable cause, such as ‘absent’, ‘shifted’, ‘death’ or ‘duplicate’, based on an inquiry from nearby electors and note the same. Lists of the above mentioned electors whose names are not included in the draft roll shall also be displayed on notice boards of respective urban local body and block offices, allowing voters access to lists along with probable reasons for their non-inclusion.”