An INDIA bloc delegation met Jharkhand’s Chief Electoral Officer over alleged pressure on BLOs to delete voters through Form-7. The CEO insisted eligible names cannot be removed and said the revision process remains transparent.
An INDIA bloc delegation on Thursday met Jharkhand Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar and submitted a memorandum alleging that BJP workers in several districts were pressuring booth-level officers (BLOs) to delete the names of specific voters from the electoral rolls through Form-7.
The CEO, however, said the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls was a transparent process and that names of eligible voters could not be deleted.
He said claims and objections were currently being invited as part of the revision exercise.
After meeting the CEO, JMM general secretary Vinod Kumar Pandey told reporters that complaints were emerging from several districts, including Garhwa, Godda and Chatra, alleging that BJP workers and their booth-level agents (BLAs) were pressuring BLOs to delete the names of particular voters.
“Reports from several districts, including Garhwa, Godda and Chatra, are coming that BJP workers and their booth-level agents (BLAs) are forcing BLOs to delete names of particular voters from the electoral rolls,” Pandey said.
He said the delegation had urged the CEO to identify those allegedly involved in such activities and take action against them.
The delegation included Jharkhand Congress leaders, including state unit president Keshav Mahto Kamlesh, as well as representatives of the RJD and CPI (ML) Liberation.
Form-7 is used to seek deletion of a name from an existing electoral roll.
Responding to the allegations, Kumar said BLAs could submit objections in bulk, with up to 10 forms a day to BLOs.
He reiterated that the SIR process was transparent and that eligible voters’ names could not be deleted.
“The SIR process is transparent. Eligible voters’ names cannot be deleted. The details of Form-6 or Form-7, such as the number of forms received and names of voters, among others, can be checked through the website,” Kumar said.
