Guwahati/ Morigaon, Jan 23: Faridud Eunush is among six voters in his household in Assam’s Morigaon district, but three of them have been shown as having ‘shifted’ from their address, according to a notice received from authorities during the ongoing Special Revision (SR) of electoral rolls in the state.
Shocked to find their names marked as ‘shifted’, Eunush and his siblings attended a hearing on Thursday with documents to prove they still reside in Mikirbheta circle of Morigaon Assembly constituency.
“The notice was most shocking. We three were shown as ‘shifted’, while the rest of the family remained residents of the same address,” Eunush told PTI over phone.
“But more concerning was the fact that the Electoral Registration Officer (ERO) refused to tell who had filed the complaint against us. He said we would have to file an RTI application to know the complainant’s name, which we submitted immediately,” he claimed.
Like Eunush and his siblings, thousands across the state have reportedly received notices based on applications filed through Form 7, which deals with proposed inclusion or deletion of names from the existing electoral rolls.
Many claimed that they received notices which showed them as marked ‘death’ even as they appeared in flesh and blood at their hearings.
By using Form 7, one can request for deletion of own’s name for any of three reasons – permanently shifted, already enrolled or not Indian citizen.
Similarly, any voter of that constituency can apply for deletion of names of others on basis of any of five reasons – death, under age, absent/ permanently shifted, already enrolled, or not Indian citizen.
“The names are not stuck off merely on basis of receipt of a Form 7 application. The persons concerned are served notices and given ample scope to prove that they remain bona fide voters of that area,” a state Election Commission official said.
However, the large number of notices issued this year has triggered apprehensions of misuse of the provision for vested interests, especially with the Assembly elections scheduled within the next couple of months.
The state EC official told PTI that instances have come to light where the same complainant has filed applications for deletions of names of several persons in the same constituency.
“In certain cases, it has been found that the complainant, when contacted, said he or she had filed no such application, and someone else had used their details to fill up the form,” he said.
Citing an instance from Bilasipara Assembly constituency, the official said multiple Form 7 applications were purportedly filed by one Karan Ray seeking deletion of nine voters’ names.
Ray, along with the nine persons, appeared before the authorities and submitted that he had not filed any objections and that his name was used unauthorisedly. The objections were subsequently declared invalid.
Affirming the Election Commission’s commitment to an error-free electoral rolls, the official said ample opportunity would be provided to persons against whom deletion requests had been received.
District election officers in places like Morigaon, Goalpara and Dhubri have issued public notices to assuage apprehensions and assert that anyone found filing frivolous applications through Form 7 is liable for penal action.
“If anyone is found using the Form 7 without valid grounds for request of deletion of name, action will be initiated against them,” the official added.
While the last date for submitting claims and objections under the ongoing SR got over on Thursday, the process of hearing based on these will continue till February 2.
The final electoral rolls will be published on February 10.
The draft rolls, published in December, reflected a total of 2,52,01,624 electors, representing a 1.35 per cent increase from the previous final rolls published in January 2025. (PTI)
