Guwahati, Feb 10 (PTI) Eligible voters, whose names were deleted from the electoral rolls during the Special Revision (SR) in Assam on the grounds of having “permanently shifted”, can apply for inclusion of their names, officials said on Tuesday.
Such electors will be eligible to apply under a specific provision of the Representation of the People (RP) Act, 1950, they said.
“People who have shifted from their earlier places of residence due to various reasons, including eviction drives, will find their names deleted from their previous polling stations or constituencies. If they could not apply for shifting of their names before the deletion, they can now apply for inclusion at their new address under this provision,” an official said.
Applications can be filed with the final electoral roll at the end of the SR exercise being published, he added.
The state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) had issued a letter in this regard to all district election officers (DEOs) last week, a copy of which is available with PTI.
“In view of recent displacements in Assam due to various reasons or administrative actions, some electors were removed from the rolls as ‘permanently shifted’ but were unable to submit applications for shifting, as only one form can be processed during a single revision,” the letter said.
It referred to provisions allowing an elector to appeal under Section 24 of the RP Act, 1950, within the prescribed time to the DEO against deletion of their name, or to submit Form 6 for inclusion of their name in the electoral roll during summary revision or continuous updation.
“Consequently, such applicants shall apply in Form 6 after the publication of the final electoral roll,” the letter added.
Form 6 is generally used for new voter enrolment and, in this case, can be used only by those electors whose names were deleted from their previous locations but could not submit Form 8 (shifting of residence or correction of entries) as a Form 7 (objection or deletion) was already in process against their names, the official explained.
The CEO has instructed DEOs to conduct “rigorous checks” while processing Form 6 applications under this provision to ensure that no ineligible voter is enrolled and all eligible electors are correctly included, he said.
Applicants will have to submit a copy of their previous EPIC card along with all standard documents required under Form 6. The “Receiving District”, where the applicant currently resides, will forward the application to the “Verifying District”, where the elector was earlier enrolled, for cross-verification, he added.
Applicants must also appear in person before the ERO (Electoral Registration Officer) for a hearing and furnish all requisite documents and details.
“The Receiving District will examine the documents and information provided by the Verifying District and dispose of the Form 6 application in accordance with law,” the letter said.
The final voters’ list was published on Tuesday, with over 2.43 lakh names deleted from the draft roll. It comprises nearly 1.25 crore men, 1.24 crore women and 343 third gender voters. PTI SSG SSG SOM
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