SIR Row: Maharashtra CEO Seeks Five ECINet Changes to Widen Local Officials' Discretion

Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer S Chockalingam had sought greater discretion for local election officials while handling cases during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, according to a letter sent to senior Election Commission officials on September 24. Chockalingam proposed changes to the ECINet software, the Election Commission’s digital platform used for electoral-roll related work, arguing that Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) should be able to exercise powers already available to them under election law. The requests came amid concerns over how software-based procedures were being used during the notice stage of the SIR in Maharashtra.

One of the key requests was to give EROs an option to exempt voters from personal hearings when they had already submitted valid and satisfactory documents. Chockalingam also proposed allowing voters to submit documents other than those listed in the SIR notice, noting that the prescribed list was indicative rather than exhaustive. The request was particularly relevant to vulnerable groups, including tribal communities, homeless people and other people who may not possess documents from the specified list. Under the existing process, EROs are responsible for considering claims and objections and making decisions on electoral-roll entries.

The Maharashtra CEO also sought greater authority for EROs to resolve certain cases involving what ECINet describes as “logical discrepancies”. Such discrepancies can arise when the system is unable to match an elector with a parent or grandparent in an earlier electoral roll because of differences in details such as names or ages. Chockalingam proposed that EROs should be able to dispose of such cases themselves when they were satisfied with the evidence, instead of sending supporting documents to district-level officials for verification. He also sought changes relating to the requirement to upload extracts from the previous SIR roll in discrepancy cases.

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Chockalingam additionally sought clearer written instructions and frequently asked questions for EROs and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers, covering notices, document submission, hearings and disposal of cases. The requests came as Maharashtra continued the notice phase of its SIR exercise. The draft electoral roll published on August 31 contained fewer electors than the earlier roll, with the Election Commission later clarifying that missing names at the draft stage did not necessarily represent final exclusions. The Commission has extended the deadline for filing claims and objections in Maharashtra to October 12, while the final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on November 16.

The Election Commission subsequently announced changes to the procedure after a full Commission meeting on September 26. It said voters who received notices because they were unmapped or had logical discrepancies would generally not need to appear personally before an ERO or AERO. Instead, Booth Level Officers would visit their homes, collect the necessary documents and upload them to ECINet for the ERO to decide the case. Hearings would be held only in exceptional circumstances, preferably online. The Commission also said further flexibility would be provided to field officials where necessary.

The Commission has also decided to review ECINet and the related IT modules through a committee headed by a senior Deputy Election Commissioner and including an independent expert from an IIT or IIIT. The developments follow wider scrutiny of the software and the way electoral-roll decisions are processed during the SIR exercise. While some of Chockalingam’s concerns have been reflected in the Commission’s subsequent changes, the ECI has said the decisions taken at its September 26 meeting were approved by the full Commission.

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