People are still confused by the Election Commission’s new voter rules, and many are finding it hard to stay on the voter list.
You would think that after trying this complicated system in 10 states and Union Territories, the Election Commission (EC) would have made the rules simple for the other 19 places where its Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is now happening. But that hasn’t happened. Instead, the rules seem to keep changing.
In Bihar, the EC had said that existing voters would get a form that was already filled in, and they would just have to check it and send it back. But in Delhi, many people who have been voting for years are being asked to fill out Form 6, which is usually meant for new voters. Officials are also asking people to visit crowded camps, often held at Resident Welfare Association (RWA) offices, to sort out any problems. It’s as if everyone is being treated like a first-time voter.
The paperwork is also getting more confusing. Earlier, only people who had never been on the voter list were asked for documents about their parents. Now, even long-time voters are being asked to give details about their parents or old voter ID numbers.
Think about how difficult this could be. What if someone is an orphan? How can they show papers about their parents? What about a 75-year-old whose parents were born before Partition, when records were much harder to keep? Or an 18-year-old whose parents never signed up to vote? Should that make the young person seem suspicious? Of course not. Joining the voter list is a right, not something your parents had to do.
Instead of making it easier for people to vote, the process is starting to feel like a giant paperwork maze. Some documents are accepted, while others are not. A passport is said to be only a travel document. Ration cards may not count. Aadhaar may or may not be enough. Birth certificates are missing for many older Indians. People show every document they have, only to be asked for something else.
It begins to feel like a strange world, where the rules keep changing and nobody knows what comes next. Instead of making sure every eligible citizen can vote, the system risks leaving people out. In a democracy where every adult should have the right to vote, that is something to worry about.
Disclaimer
Views expressed above are the author’s own.
