Imphal: Manipur on Sunday published its draft electoral roll following the completion of the first (enumeration) phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), an exercise carried out amid the state’s continuing ethnic conflict, large-scale displacement and connectivity problems in hill areas.The state’s chief electoral officer (CEO) Arun Kumar Sinha said enumeration forms were collected and digitised for 19,34,399 electors, which is 92.42% of the pre-draft electorate of 20,93,076. Forms for the remaining 1,58,677 electors (7.58%) could not be collected for reasons including death, migration, duplication and untraceability.Addressing a media conference at the CEO office at Lamphel in Imphal, Sinha said the uncollected cases included around 43,000 deceased voters, 72,473 people who had permanently shifted, 34,740 untraceable or absent electors, 7,394 duplicate enrolments and 1,070 others, including those who declined to submit enumeration forms.Sinha said the 34,740 listed as untraceable were not necessarily internally displaced persons (IDPs) but those who could not be found at their registered addresses during the enumeration period. “Such voters can still apply for inclusion during the ongoing claims period,” he said.He said 9,56,409 electors in the draft roll were successfully linked to the 2005 electoral roll, while 8,86,812 were identified as progeny voters. Another 91,178 electors could not be linked to the 2005 roll and will be served notices during the claims and objections phase.“Those who could not be mapped will have an opportunity to submit supporting documents to establish their linkage with the 2005 electoral roll. Once verified, their names will be included in the final electoral roll,” Sinha said.Responding to media queries on IDPs, the CEO said the Election Commission made special arrangements to distribute and collect enumeration forms in relief camps through nodal officers.Sinha said the exercise faced logistical hurdles in hill districts, where internet connectivity is unreliable and booth level officers (BLOs) physically carried completed forms to areas with internet access for digitisation.The CEO said eligible persons whose names do not appear in the draft roll can seek inclusion through Form 6 along with the prescribed declaration. Objections to entries may be filed using Form 7, while corrections in personal details or requests for shifting polling stations or constituencies can be made through Form 8.Sinha said no name would be deleted from the electoral roll without providing the elector an opportunity to be heard and after a reasoned order is passed by the electoral registration officer (ERO).The draft roll includes 9,40,446 male electors, 9,93,660 female electors and 293 third-gender electors, taking the total electorate to 19,34,399. According to the draft roll, the total polling stations in the state is 3,041.Claims and objections can be filed from July 5 till Aug 4. The notice phase and disposal of claims and objections will take place from July 5 till Sept 2. The final electoral roll will be published on Sept 6.
