Gurgaon: Nearly 4.5 lakh names are missing from the city’s draft electoral roll, shrinking the electorate by 29% — from 15.6 lakh before special intensive revision (SIR) to 11 lakh in the list published on July 31.The city received just 40,563 Form 6 applications seeking inclusion between June 1 and Sept 30. Now, Haryana’s chief electoral officer, A Sreenivas, has reiterated Election Commission of India’s assurance in Supreme Court that voters whose names figured in earlier rolls can apply afresh without fear of legal action merely because they were registered before.In simple terms, the figures suggest that fewer than one for every 11 names missing from the draft roll have applied for inclusion. However, the two figures are not directly comparable. Form 6 applications also include first-time voters, while the reduction in the draft roll covers entries categorised as absent, shifted, dead or duplicate as well as cases where enumeration forms could not be collected. The gap, nevertheless, highlights the scale of the challenge in ensuring that eligible voters are not left out.SIR involved matching details of voters with the electoral roll of the previous intensive revision, which was conducted in 2002. Those whose details could not be mapped were asked to attend hearings and furnish documents to establish their eligibility. Some voters who could not attend these hearings or complete the verification process risked remaining off the rolls despite having voted in earlier elections.This is where Form 6 became a source of anxiety. The form carries a declaration that the applicant is seeking inclusion in the electoral roll for the first time. Previously registered voters feared that submitting it despite their earlier enrolment could amount to a false declaration and expose them to prosecution under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.In a clarification issued on Nov 3 to chief electoral officers of all states and Union Territories, the ECI said an elector whose name is missing from the draft roll can apply through Form 6, irrespective of previous enrolment. It clarified that such a submission is “not, by itself, false merely because the elector was previously enrolled”. No electoral registration officer (ERO) can initiate action under Section 31 solely on this ground, provided the applicant is not already enrolled in another parliamentary or assembly constituency and the declaration otherwise complies with the law.Sreenivas has now asked district election officers to publicise the clarification widely so that eligible voters are not deterred by the fear of prosecution. The ECI’s assurance is in line with an Oct 14 Delhi High Court ruling, which held that the petitioners’ apprehension about submitting Form 6 was misplaced. The issue was also raised before Supreme Court on Nov 4. The apex court said voters need not be apprehensive while the matter remained under its consideration and listed the challenge for Nov 19.Hearings under SIR, meanwhile, have found 12,754 electors ineligible as of Oct 28. Their names are likely to be deleted from the final roll, subject to the prescribed process. The ECI has also extended the deadline for disposal of claims, objections and notices to Nov 20, with the final electoral roll now scheduled for publication on Nov 30.Officials said the assurance gives previously enrolled voters a clear route to seek inclusion. “The bigger challenge now is ensuring that those still missing from the list know they can apply without fear,” an official said.
