Nainital Verification Drive Hits High Profile: Kumaon Commissioner, MLA Issued Voter Roll Notices

Nainital: Among the people who have received the notice from the Election Commission in its ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) voter verification exercise are some prominent personalities like Kumaon Commissioner Deepak Rawat and Nainital MLA Sarita Arya.

This drive, which is meant to prepare an accurate and updated electoral roll that will be devoid of errors, has seen Booth Level Officers (BLOs) visiting houses across the district. As per the officials, the SIR notice sent to MLA Sarita Arya’s house is related to gathering the required information about her and her younger son, whereas a similar notice was given to the house of Kumaon Commissioner Deepak Rawat.

The officials from the Election Department have made it clear that the drive is a regular process that is being carried out irrespective of the fact whether the person is a citizen holding constitutional office or not.

Conducted under the Election Commission's directives, this campaign aims to make the voter list accurate, up-to-date, and error-free. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are visiting homes to verify voters and gather the required information. The campaign applies equally to all voters in the district, whether they are ordinary citizens or individuals holding constitutional or administrative positions.

According to Election Commission officials, the campaign is part of a standard, routine procedure. Its objective is to ensure the accuracy of details for every eligible voter. Consequently, officials are reaching out to all families in the district and collecting information via prescribed forms.

Nainital SDM Nawazish Khalik said, "Hearings regarding complaints filed under the SIR process have commenced in the Nainital Assembly constituency to rectify existing discrepancies. Most cases involve errors in names and addresses, and the individuals concerned have been asked to provide the necessary documentation. The goal of the SIR is to create a new and accurate voter list. The system automatically flags errors in names and addresses, and notices have been issued to the concerned individuals, directing them to rectify these discrepancies."

The procedure for filling out Forms 6, 7, and 8 has been ongoing since July 14 and is scheduled to continue until August 13. During this period, eligible citizens can submit their claims and objections. The Election Department aims to ensure that the final published electoral roll is completely accurate and up-to-date.

Vijay Kumar Jogdande, additional chief electoral officer of Uttarakhand, said on July 30 that voters can rectify errors regarding their name, address, age, or other details in the electoral roll by filling out Form 8. Eligible citizens whose names are not yet included in the electoral roll can register anew using Form 6. Form 7 is available for matters concerning the deletion of a name or other objections, he added.

Jogdande said that approximately 1.9 million voters in the state have been identified as having some form of error in their records. Notices are being issued to these voters in a phased manner so that they can present their case with the necessary documents within the stipulated timeframe and have their records corrected.

He mentioned that, during the campaign, the mapping of approximately 526,000 voters remained incomplete. Continuous efforts are being made through Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to reach these voters and verify their information.