Electors face Form 6 and enumeration form quandary

Tarun Kumar, along with his family members, discovered their names missing from the draft electoral roll in Kukatpally Assembly constituency. They were informed of this by the Booth Level Officer (BLO). In response, they filled out Form 6 for fresh voter registration. The ECI announced on November 6 that names on the Absent, Shifted, Dead, Duplicate (ASDD) list could be included by re-filing Enumeration Forms (EF).

Nearly 6 crore names were deleted in the first year of the State Imputation Register (SIR) of electoral rolls. This action was taken amid allegations that the poll authority was disenfranchising citizens for lacking necessary documents. Many voters, including Tarun Kumar, were unaware of the deadline for re-enrolment, which was September 23rd. They also did not fully understand the process of filling out the EF.

Several voters reported similar issues, such as Mohammed Hameed, whose BLO mistakenly placed a voter from a different assembly segment when scanning his EF on his phone. Despite the BLO's assurance, Mohammed Hameed filled out Form 6 before learning of the ECI's announcement.

The ECI has tried to reassure the public that no action will be taken against voters who submit Form 6 for re-enrolment. However, concerns remain as the declaration accompanying the form seems to be directed towards first-time voters and warns against providing false information, which is punishable under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.

Pamaja Shaw, an academic and activist, expressed concern over the dual solutions being offered for the same problem and suggested that the ECI revisit its decision to ensure parity.