Manipur's perspective in ECI move to cleanse poll rolls
- The People's Chronicle Editorial :: March 22, 2025 -

THOUGH there is no mention of any particular state complaining about persons of suspicious nationalities getting enrolled in the electoral roll, there is no doubt that the Election Commission of India (ECI) is determined to uphold sanctity of the democratic system by weeding out the non-bonafide voters as is evident from the Commission initiating the process to link the elector's photo identity card (EPIC) with Aadhaar in collaboration with authorities overseeing birth and death.

In the aftermath of a handful of opposition leaders of national repute raising a hue and cry over alleged abnormalities in the existing electoral rolls, the Election Commission on Thursday declared that the regular updating process of the voter list will be strengthened in close coordination with the birth and death registration authorities.

Following up on its recent announcement to link EPIC with Aadhaar, the ECI assured technical consultations between the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) and experts of the EC at the soonest possible to expedite the exercise for voter list-aadhaar linkage, along with reaffirming its stand to remove duplicate voters countrywide and end a decades-long issue within three months.

The three-month timeframe set by the ECI might be long enough time for unscrupulous elements to exploit flaws in the system and enrol persons of suspicious origin, but completion of the EPIC updating exercise will definitely aid the election-conducting authorities in detecting fraudulent entries in the electoral roll.

The decision to strengthen the voter list in close coordination with the birth and death registration authorities also underscores that the ECI is aware about electoral malpractices.

Other notable steps initiated by the poll authority to sanitise the system of all ills include conduct of regular meetings of 5000 poll officials, including state chief electoral officers, district electoral officers and electoral registration officers, with political parties for resolution of issues at the grassroots levels by March 31; digital training for continuous capacity augmentation of nearly one crore election officials; ensure that no polling station has more than 1200 voters and that the stations are within a two-km distance from the electors' residences; provision of basic facilities even at the remotest rural polling stations; and encourage urban electors to exercise their democratic rights by setting up polling stations within the premises of high-rise buildings and colonies, to name a few.

Notably, the clarification made by the ECI during interactions with political parties that any inclusion or deletion in the draft elector list is governed by the process of appeals under relevant legal provisions for filing claims and objections available to all political parties in the Representation of People Act, 1950, also signify that political parties, both ruling and opposition, are more or less responsible for blemishing the electoral rolls with the sole intention to ramp up their support base.

In Manipur's context, issuance of EPIC to only bonafide adult franchisees, strict monitoring of activities of non-governmental entities authorised to generate and add missing details in Aadhaar cards and sincerity of election officials working at the grassroots level would go a long way in preventing the perennial problem of illegal immigration finding permanent settlement, and avoiding occurrence of unwanted incidents.