Bihar News: PUCL Urges Political Parties To Act Against Mass Deletion Of Voter Names

Patna: Concerned over a large number of voters being left out from the final voter list as there are only 11 days left before the claims and objections period ends, People`s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has written to all political parties to take certain measures to ensure that names of all eligible voters were included in the list.

Bihar PUCL general secretary Sarfaraz claimed that there were apprehensions that names of crores of voters would be erased from the voter list as they were unable to complete the necessary documentation work. He said that names of 65 lakh voters had been already deleted from the draft list during the first phase of the special intensive revision of the electoral rolls for various reasons even as it was found later many of these names were wrongly struck off.

Sarfaraz contended voters were not aware that despite filling enumeration forms, they had to contact their booth level officers (BLOs) concerned and submit requisite documents.

PUCL representative claimed that since the Election Commission and BLOs were not taking appropriate steps to help people and social workers and clear their confusions regarding the documentation work for addition of new names or deleted names, political parties should come forward and help them. He said that political parties should set up help desks and camps at the booth, panchayat or ward level in all assembly constituencies to apprise people of the status of their names in the voter list. Volunteers at the help desks and camps should assist people in completing their documentation work, filing of their applications, lodging of their complaints and other related activities.

Volunteers should also help people to contact their BLOs even by inviting poll officials to help desks or camps or otherwise also they should ensure they are connected with the BLOs. PUCL also suggested political parties to identify those names which had been deleted from the draft voter list or these names not existing in the voter list published in January this year either.

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It also advised parties to take special care of those people whose names were deleted from the draft voter list due to seasonal migration, moving outside for treatment or for other purposes. They should also assist those people filling forms online who are outside the state presently. In case of addition of names of suspected voters at any booth, political parties should lodge complaints with the Election Commission immediately so that these names are erased.