Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) president Amit Chavda on Wednesday wrote to Chief Electoral Officer Hareet Shukla, alleging that 67 lakh voters who were not in the voters’ list in the year 2002 have been included without sufficient verification.
“The recent development in preparation of voters’ list shows a very disturbing factor. As per the information gathered, 67 lakh voters, who were not in the voters’ list in the year 2002, are included without sufficient verification. The provisions of Representation of Peoples Act and Rules framed therein are required to be followed scrupulously. It seems that presently inclusion of such names of voters is done without following the due process of law and without sufficient verification. We request to verify it again and after having sufficient proof thereof by way of documentary evidence, they should have been included in the voters list. Presently, all those voters should be kept in abeyance,” GPCC President Amit Chavda said in his representation.
Talking about the “pressure” created on BLOs – and demanding an extension of the deadline – Chavda said, “It has been found that a very short time is given for preparation of voters list to BLOs, which has created serious panic. In many places BLOs have uploaded the enumeration form without taking an original signature of the voters. We request, on behalf of the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee, to extend the period for preparation of voters list till the end of February 2026. This would decrease the pressure on existing BLOs and the quality of preparation of voters list will also improve and ultimately, it will be in the interest of democratic process.”
The CEO’s office said on Wednesday the distribution of enumeration forms for the ongoing SIR of the electoral rolls has been completed in eight districts. Dang has recorded the highest of 85.53 per cent digitisation in Gujarat as on Wednesday. The Gujarat Congress said that most of the voters in tribal districts, including Dang, are not available at their residences due to migration for work.
“The residents of tribal areas are not present at their residences as they are away for livelihood. It is also necessary to extend the time limit so that people who have migrated in large numbers from tribal areas like Vyara, Kaprada, Dang, Chota Udepur, Sabarkantha’s Poshina, Khedbrahma and Vijaynagar for employment are not deprived of their voting rights due to poverty and illiteracy,” Chavda said.
It is found that clear and proper instructions are not given to the BLO by the authority and each BLO acts as per their convenience, the Congress said. Gujarat Congress alleged that they have received many complaints from different places of Gujarat that the BLO has not “given a second copy of the enumeration form”.
