As Goalposts Shift

The Opposition accuses the Election Commission of furthering the ruling establishment's political agenda. The ECI dismisses the charges as politically motivated

- By Snigdhendu Bhattacharya

FOR years, among the usual visuals and news reports emerging during election time in India have been that of polling personnel travelling to remote areas—taking country boats to islands, climbing hills, crossing streams and traversing forests. The mission: to ensure even the last person is included in the democratic process.

It is then rather strange that the Supreme Court of India, on July 28, had to remind the Election Commission of India (ECI) that “mass inclusion” and not “en masse exclusion” should be the outcome of the electoral roll revision exercise in the poll-bound state of Bihar.

Three days later, the ECI’s publication of the draft voter list as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) revealed as many as 65 lakh names have been removed from the voter list—setting an example of the removal of the highest number of voters in one go in the history of India’s electoral roll revision.

From making it the poll panel's responsibility to reach out to voters, the ECI appears to have suddenly changed the rules of their engagement. The onus of proving citizenship, an essential part of electoral rights, lies on the electors, and not the ECI, the poll panel told India's top court in July. Even for the large-scale exclusion of 65 lakh names, the ECI tried to pass on the responsibility of correctness of the list to the Booth Level Agents (BLAs) of different political parties, while parties point out that it is the responsibility of the Booth Level Officers (BLOs), who are part of the administration.

What caused the ECI's apparent change of approach—from 'we must reach the last person' to 'aggrieved persons first need to reach us'? The question may have many answers.

While Opposition parties accuse the poll panel of carrying out the political agenda of the ruling establishment, the ECI insists the charges against it are politically motivated.