ASDD bulk deletions effected by ECI without due procedure through autogenerated Form-7s signed by EROs
Form-7s were auto-generated for lakhs of voters, with ERO in place of the objector. Deletions were effected without notice period
The Election Commission of India (ECI) and its local functionaries may have been responsible for a significant bulk deletion of voters across Telangana and other parts of the country during the Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls (SIR). The deletions were primarily carried out on voters falling under the 'Absent, Shifted, Dead, and Duplicate' (ASDD) categories, without following the prescribed procedure as outlined in the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960.
The process involved the use of auto-generated Form-7s, which were signed by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs). The ERONET software was used to create these Form-7s, with EROs' names mentioned as the objectors. However, no Standard Operating Procedure (SoP) or written communication has been shared with the state election authorities regarding these auto-generated Form-7s.
While the ASDD category comprised a majority of absent and shifted voters, there is no confirmation on the majority of voters listed under these categories. The actual verification of many voters was limited, as most Booth Level Officers (BLOs) mainly distributed the Enumeration Forms to those who came to collect them and submitted their reports, marking those who had not returned the forms as absent or shifted.
The ASDD list was not displayed in the required format of Form-10 each day, as per the ECI guidelines. This lack of transparency and adherence to procedure has raised concerns among political parties, with the Congress alleging targeted deletion of eligible voters, particularly from marginalized groups.
Written by urgent.news from The Hindu's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
