Mumbai: As the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has gathered pace across Maharashtra, voters in the state can now submit documents for electoral-roll verification through WhatsApp. The development comes amid concerns raised by the Congress over the Election Commission’s ECINet software and its potential impact on the electoral registration process.
Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer S. Chockalingam has directed poll officials to accept voter documents via WhatsApp during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. This decision allows citizens to respond to notices generated by the ECINet software by sending their proof directly to their respective Booth Level Officers (BLOs), avoiding the need for mandatory personal hearings.
According to EC officials, voters who have received notices regarding unmapped entries or discrepancies can share their supporting documents with their BLO via WhatsApp. If necessary, BLOs will conduct home visits to physically verify the digital copies provided over WhatsApp, drastically reducing public queues.
To give voters more time to clear anomalies and submit applications, the deadline for filing claims and objections in Maharashtra has been extended from September 30 to October 12.
The WhatsApp window and relaxed hearing norms serve as an intermediate relief measure to ensure vulnerable groups, including senior citizens and communities lacking standard documentation, are not inadvertently left off the updated rolls.
Maharashtra CEO S. Chockalingam previously wrote to the Election Commission of India seeking modifications to the ECINet software to grant Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) greater discretion in resolving administrative anomalies.
The opposition Congress party had raised serious concerns over the platform, alleging that the software’s rigid automated flags were diluting the statutory powers of local EROs to evaluate voter eligibility fairly.
The Election Commission of India recently stopped routine physical hearings for voters flagged with logical discrepancies. If a voter submits sufficient documents online or via WhatsApp, a personal hearing is no longer routinely required.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
