The Election Commission of India has implemented four changes to its ECINet software and procedures for Maharashtra’s Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls, easing document requirements for voters and giving Electoral Registration Officers greater discretion in resolving flagged cases.
The changes apply to voters who receive notices because their records could not be linked to the previous Special Intensive Revision roll or because the system identified mismatches in their details. These discrepancies can include differences in a parent’s name or an apparently implausible age gap between a parent and child. Such software flags do not by themselves establish that a voter is ineligible.
Under the revised procedure, voters issued notices will not normally be required to attend personal hearings at the office of the Electoral Registration Officer or Assistant Electoral Registration Officer. Booth Level Officers will visit voters’ homes, collect supporting documents and upload them to ECINet for consideration. Hearings may still be held in exceptional cases and should preferably take place online, according to the procedure announced by the Election Commission on September 26.
A second change allows voters to submit documents outside the 13 categories listed in the notices. The Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer’s office said in an October 1 press note that the BLO App had been updated to include an “Any other Documents” option. Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer S Chockalingam had argued that the list should be treated as indicative rather than exhaustive because tribal, homeless and other vulnerable residents may not possess documents in the specified categories.
The third change gives EROs greater authority to decide cases involving what the procedure describes as logical discrepancies. Previously, when an ERO could not resolve a discrepancy on the basis of a BLO’s report, supporting documents were required to be sent to the District Election Officer for verification. Under the revised process, the ERO or AERO can assess the documents and field-verification material and decide the case. Maharashtra’s September 30 instructions state that eligible voters should be given an opportunity to submit documents.
The fourth change removes the mandatory upload of an “Extract of Last SIR” in every logical discrepancy case. The Maharashtra CEO’s office had pointed out that the software itself identified discrepancies by comparing voter records with the previous SIR roll, making the additional upload unnecessary. Chockalingam confirmed to The Indian Express on October 15 that the document was no longer compulsory, saying the change would reduce the workload of BLOs.
The revisions follow concerns about the interaction between software controls and the statutory responsibilities of election officials. Chockalingam sought the changes in a September 24 letter to senior Election Commission officials, arguing that restrictions in the software were limiting the powers of EROs, who are legally responsible for preparing and revising electoral rolls.
The issue had also featured in an Indian Express investigation published on September 23, which reported concerns raised by Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi that software controls were restricting the discretion of officials handling the revision process. The revised procedure now places greater emphasis on field-level verification, document assessment by EROs and the opportunity for eligible voters to respond to notices.
