Ranchi: The Congress on Wednesday urged the Election Commission to extend the hearing period under the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Jharkhand by at least 30 days, citing a large backlog of cases, delays in issuing supporting documents and technical glitches in voter verification.
The hearing process is scheduled to conclude on November 23, while the final electoral roll is due to be published on November 30. A delegation led by Jharkhand Congress in-charge K Raju and state president Keshav Mahato Kamlesh met Chief Electoral Officer K Ravi Kumar and submitted a memorandum seeking corrective measures to ensure that eligible voters are not excluded because of administrative hurdles.
19.31 Lakh Cases Pending, 5.06 Lakh Notices Unserved
Citing SIR data till October 31, the Congress said 59.56 lakh notices had been issued across the state. Hearings had been completed in 40.25 lakh cases, while 19.31 lakh cases remained pending. The party further claimed that more than 5.06 lakh notices were yet to be served, raising concerns over the ability of voters to complete the verification process within the existing deadline.
“Several blocks are not issuing permanent residence certificates. People are also facing difficulties in obtaining caste certificates, family registers and genealogical records,” Raju said. He added that many eligible voters were struggling to arrange the required documents within the stipulated time despite their willingness to participate in the verification process.
BLO App Glitches, Workload Also Flagged
The Congress also highlighted the increased workload on election personnel and technical problems in the Booth Level Officer (BLO) app. According to the party, some voters continued to be marked as pending even after attending hearings, while others received fresh notices despite completing the verification process.
The delegation sought acceptance of locally issued residence certificates after verification, priority issuance of pending documents and SMS confirmations for voters who attend hearings. It also demanded prompt resolution of technical glitches affecting the verification process.
Kamlesh said festivals and government holidays had further reduced the available time for hearings, making it difficult to complete the exercise within the existing schedule.
Rahul Gandhi Likely to Visit Jharkhand in November
Raju, who began a two-day visit to Jharkhand on Wednesday, said Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was expected to visit the state in the third week of November.
He said Gandhi would address rallies against alleged “vote theft” and demand the removal of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar. The Congress is also campaigning against the SIR exercise, alleging that procedural difficulties could affect eligible voters.
