Legal and procedural safeguards in place for inclusion of voters: Puducherry Election Dept. on SIR

The Puducherry Election Department has stated that the details of those who have applied for the inclusion of their names in the electoral roll will be notified to all recognised political parties through Form 9 (compilation of all Form 6 received by EROs) or 11 (compilation of all Form 8 received by EROs) for scrutiny and as a measure of transparency in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

In a detailed note, the department has sought to clear the air over some reports on certain aspects of the SIR, since the process was announced across the Union Territory, particularly speculations that migrants in the city, who had voted in the Assembly elections in Bihar, would also be eligible to exercise their franchise in the polls to be held for the Puducherry Legislative Assembly early next year.

Dismissing these reports as “misrepresentation of facts and without appreciation of the legal and procedural safeguards”, the department said the Election Commission of India (ECI) had put in place procedural safeguards to deal with such cases. If a person, after voting in Bihar, subsequently shifts their residence to Puducherry, they should first delete their name from the electoral roll of Bihar before applying afresh in the UT.

The application, through submission of Form 6 (for inclusion of an elector) or 8 (for shifting the address of an existing elector), should be accompanied by a declaration form duly filled with valid proof of residence. The applicant should submit any one of the 13 forms prescribed by the ECI along with the form, the note said.

“If any false information is provided in the declaration attached to the application form, the person will be liable for criminal action under Section 31 of the Representation of People Act, 1950. On receipt of the application, the ERO will arrange for a field enquiry through the BLO. The BLO will verify eligibility as per Article 326 of Indian Constitution (citizens above 18 years of age), and Section 19 of the Representation of People Act, 1950,” the department said.