The CEO’s office on Monday issued a new directive to all District Election Officers (DEOs), calling for heightened vigilance in booths where the number of returned enumeration forms ranges from zero to twenty. The instruction follows alarming data that reached the Commission earlier in the day, revealing significant gaps in the ongoing voter-list verification process.
Out of nearly 80,000 booths across the state, 2,208 booths have reported zero returned forms. When booths with zero to ten returned forms are counted, the number rises sharply to 7,844. Officials noted that the figure becomes “substantially larger” when considering booths with zero to twenty returns, highlighting how many centres now fall under close scrutiny.
The Commission has instructed that booths with uncollected forms between zero and twenty must be given special attention. The discovery of 2,208 booths with no returned forms prompted the immediate issuance of the new directive. BLOs assigned to these booths have been asked to recheck all uploaded information meticulously and repeatedly. They have also been warned that any deliberate errors discovered during scrutiny will result in punishment.
The CEO’s office has also stressed the need to revisit several areas of the enumeration process. If a family member has signed an enumeration form on behalf of an absent voter, BLOs have been directed to confirm the authenticity through a mandatory phone call or home visit and ensure that the voter is not registered elsewhere in the country. The Commission also acknowledged that errors may occur during data entry in the BLO app.
“To address this, the Rollback/Correction feature has been activated, and BLOs, along with EROs and AEROs, have been instructed to correct any inaccurate entries without delay,” said a Commission official.
Booths marked as “sensitive” during the 2024 Lok Sabha and 2021 Assembly elections are to be monitored more cautiously, with their enumeration forms prioritised for verification. Booths where mapping has crossed 50 percent will also be placed under special watch. In addition, information on deceased persons will be collected from the Birth and Death Registration Office and through records of cancelled ration cards. All such data submitted by BLOs will be verified by EROs, as part of what the CEO’s office has described as a stricter framework for the correction and verification of the voter list.
Alongside these measures, the CEO’s office has also instructed Returning Officers (ROs) to address discrepancies in voter records. Information on voters aged 60 years and above, as per 2002 records, must be rechecked. Cases where the guardian’s name in the 2025 voter list does not match the name recorded in BLO mapping must also be reviewed. Additionally, if the age difference between a voter and the listed guardian in the 2002 records is greater than 45 years or less than 18, the entries must undergo verification.
The Commission believes these intensified steps will help ensure a more accurate and transparent voter list ahead of the next electoral cycle.
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