Amid Row In Bihar, NDTV Explains 'Special Intensive Revision' Of Voter Lists

The Election Commission on Monday activated resources for a potential national 'special intensive revision' of voter lists. Some states - including national capital Delhi and Uttarakhand - have already released current lists, a move seen as a prelude to asking voters to re-verify their names on the rolls.

Sources said the Election Commission will take a final call on a pan-India voter list revision - for the purpose of weeding out non-Indians by identifying each individual's place of birth - after July 28, when the Supreme Court is expected to finish hearing challenges to just such an exercise in Bihar.

Last week the Supreme Court affirmed the Election Commission's authority - under the Constitution - to review these lists "so non-citizens do not remain on the rolls".

What Is Revision Of Voter List?

Section 21 of the Representation of People Act of 1950 says the Election Commission is tasked with preparing and revising electoral rolls for all Assembly and parliamentary constituencies in the country.

The term 'electoral roll' or 'voter list' refers to a register of all eligible and registered voters in each constituency. The list is critical to ensure a free, fair, and transparent electoral process.\

READ | 'Voter List Revision Before Polls A Conspiracy': Tejashwi Yadav To NDTV

Under Section 16 of Representation of People Act, or RP Act, non-citizens are excluded from this list, while Section 19 allows for the inclusion of all Indian citizens over the age of 18.

Voter lists are typically revised before an election or after an administrative exercise like redrawing of constituencies, and there are two kinds of these revisions.

'Intensive', 'Summary', 'Special Intensive'

The first is an 'intensive' revision.

This is when the EC feels current lists are outdated or inaccurate, and is basically an exercise in completely re-creating a voter list, meaning personnel go house-to-house to collect fresh data.

The second is a 'summary' revision.

This is meant to be an annual exercise to refresh voter lists and only involves the Election Commission publishing the list and inviting people to correct, modify, or delete details.

The 'special intensive' revision - a combination of the two - in Bihar is only carried out when the poll panel feels there are large-scale errors, and is allowed under Section 21(3) of the RP Act.

Why Revision Of Voter Lists Is Needed

A revision - 'intensive', 'summary', or 'special intensive' - helps remove ineligible voters and also add those who may have been missed in earlier lists, as well as include newly eligible voters.

Importantly, it ensures migrant voters and shifting populations are accurately counted.

READ | Contentious Bihar Voter List Overhaul To Drop 35.5 Lakh Names, So Far

On Monday the Election Commission said it had dropped 35 lakh names.

The poll panel said 1.59 per cent of registered individuals, equivalent to 12.5 lakh voters, were found to have died. Another 2.2 per cent, or 17.5 lakh electors, had relocated and are no longer eligible to vote in the state. And 0.73 per cent, around 5.5 lakh, had double-registered.

EC sources told NDTV this data underlined the importance of revising voter lists.

READ | Bihar Survey Finds 'Voters' From Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar

Also last week, EC sources said door-to-door visits had revealed 'many' people from neighbouring countries, like Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, on the voter lists.

Sources said these people managed to obtain Indian government documents like domicile certificates and ration cards in their name, and had been wrongly included in the voter list.

Challenges In Voter List Revision

The principal challenge is to ensure eligible voters are not disenfranchised.

The reference is specifically to voters from poorer sections of society and from marginalised communities, who may not (now) have access to the documents required for re-verification.

Inter and intra-state migrant populations are another at-risk community.

READ | Why EC Is Revising Bihar's Voter List. Why The Opposition Is Against It

A large chunk of Bihar's adult population, for example, moves to other states in search of employment. In most cases they retain voting rights at their place of birth but, because of a lack of education, awareness, and access to documents, cannot always prove this to be the case.

Apart from these issues, even a statewide voter list revision requires significant funds and use of manpower, which may place additional strain on the poll body's resources. This is particularly a concern if the EC is scheduled to hold an election just months later, as it is in the case of Bihar.

Bihar Voter List Row

The Bihar exercise has run into trouble for two reasons - one, because it comes just months before an election in that state, and two, because the EC had said common government IDs, such as the Aadhaar and its own voter identity card, could not be used for re-verification.

The opposition - the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal - has argued a revision at this late stage is a 'conspiracy' to slash its support base by excluding lakhs of people, including those who have already voted in 10 major elections since the last revision.

The opposition also questioned the legality of the exercise and flagged the poll body's decision to not accept commonly-used government IDs, such as the poll body's own identity card, for re-verification.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Janata Dal United has countered by accusing the opposition of trying to shield 'fake' voters, a charge buttressed by reports that foreign nationals had registered as voters.

READ | Supreme Court's "Serious Doubts" On Bihar Voter List 'Special Revision'

On Monday the Supreme Court - approached to stay the Bihar special intensive revision - refused to do so, although it did tell the Election Commission it had "serious doubts" about the exercise being completed in time for the Bihar election. The court also suggested the EC include common government IDs like the Aadhaar in the re-verification process to ensure all eligible voters can be identified.

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