Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Navdeep Rinwa has instructed election officials to scrutinise every voter registration application processed by computer assistants since April 10, following the conclusion of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR). Warning of strict administrative and legal action against electoral registration officers (EROs) and subordinate staff for any discrepancies, Rinwa emphasised zero tolerance for electoral roll irregularities.

The directives were issued during a virtual review meeting with divisional commissioners, district election officers (DEOs), EROs, assistant electoral registration officers (AEROs), and computer assistants in preparation for the upcoming Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls, according to an official statement released on Sunday evening.

Directives on application scrutiny & process changes

Rinwa ordered a thorough audit of all Forms 6, 7, and 8 entered by computer assistants since the SIR concluded on April 10 to avoid a repeat of issues recently reported in Pilibhit.

Under Election Commission guidelines:

  • Form 6: Used for the inclusion of new voters.

  • Form 7: Used for objections to inclusions or requests for deletion of names.

  • Form 8: Used for corrections, updates, or transposition of entries.

The scrutiny follows allegations made by the Uttar Pradesh Congress on October 21 regarding widespread electoral roll manipulation in the Pilibhit Sadar Assembly constituency, where the party claimed the names of 13,150 voters were altered while their EPIC and serial numbers remained unchanged.

To prevent unauthorised entries, Rinwa instructed that computer assistants must no longer be tasked with entering physical application forms.

"All such forms must be digitised by booth-level officers (BLOs) through the BLO App," he said.

Also read: EC hiding information on ECINET software as it will reveal manipulation: Congress  

Strict accountability & legal action

The CEO warned that EROs, AEROs, and computer assistants would face personal accountability and potential prosecution under Section 32 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950, which governs breaches of official duty regarding electoral roll preparation and revision.

"District election officers would also be held responsible for lax supervision," the statement noted.

Divisional commissioners, acting as roll observers, were directed to closely monitor electoral roll updates across their jurisdictions, with warnings that supervisory negligence would draw strict action.

Furthermore, officials were instructed to review Section 32 thoroughly, ensure that mistakes highlighted in political party and social media complaints are not repeated, and immediately update their ERONET login credentials. Officials were explicitly forbidden from sharing ERONET IDs or passwords with unauthorised personnel.

Complaint disposal and grievances

The review meeting also addressed pending complaints regarding duplicate voters and service delays:

  • Delayed reports: Rinwa expressed dissatisfaction with DEOs in Bulandshahr, Sitapur, Ghaziabad, and Aligarh for failing to submit timely reports on complaints received, directing them to transmit the files without delay.

  • Portal & app grievances: EROs were instructed to ensure the prompt disposal of all grievances logged since April 10 on the National Grievance Service Portal (NGSP), Public Grievance Redressal System (PGRS), and social media platforms.

  • 'Book a Call With BLO' compliance: Officials must resolve call requests made via the ECINET app and the voters.eci.gov.in portal within 48 hours.

"Action would be taken if BLOs marked citizens as 'Unavailable' without attempting to contact them or failed to respond to call requests within the stipulated time," the statement warned.

Following complaints from a special campaign day held on October 24, Rinwa demanded reports on BLOs who arrived late or remained absent from polling stations, warning that such lapses would not be tolerated during upcoming SSR campaign days. He concluded by ordering all EROs to purge duplicate entries before the publication of draft electoral rolls.

Overview of key electoral forms & system directives

Requirement / FormOperational Directives & Application
Form 6New voter registration and inclusion of names.
Form 7Objections to inclusions or deletion of entries from electoral rolls.
Form 8Corrections to particulars, address changes, and entry updates.
Data Entry ProtocolPhysical form entry by computer assistants banned; BLOs must digitise physical forms directly via the BLO App.
Security & LoginERONET credentials must not be shared; immediate password resets mandated.
Grievance Timelines'Book a Call With BLO' requests on ECINET/voters.eci.gov.in must be answered within 48 hours.

(PTI)