YSRCP asks EC to provide voter, BLO lists ahead of SIR in Andhra

I request the office of the Chief Electoral Officer to furnish the voter list proposed for SIR in digital and searchable format, including constituency-wise and booth-wise data, to recognised political parties for verification and scrutiny, Reddy said in a letter addressed to the CEO.

The YSRCP on Thursday requested the state CEO to provide voters and booth level officers lists, and also called for an awareness programme ahead of SIR in Andhra Pradesh. Seeking transparency and accessibility regarding the voter list proposed to be utilised for the SIR, YSRCP general secretary L Appi Reddy requested it to be furnished to all political parties for verification and scrutiny. ''I request the office of the Chief Electoral Officer to furnish the voter list proposed for SIR in digital and searchable format, including constituency-wise and booth-wise data, to recognised political parties for verification and scrutiny,'' Reddy said in a letter addressed to the CEO. Underscoring that the electoral roll is the foundation of the democratic process, he said any revision, deletion, correction or addition of voter names must be conducted in a transparent, fair, and accountable manner. ''Serious concerns are being expressed by voters and political parties regarding alleged irregularities such as wrongful deletions, duplicate entries, shifting of voters, and lack of transparency in the digital verification process,'' the YSRCP leader said. He also requested the Chief Electoral Officer to disclose the procedure and safeguards adopted for additions, deletions, corrections, and migration of voters to ensure that no genuine voter is deprived of his or her valuable right to vote without due process. In the interest of free and fair polls, Reddy requested the Election Commission official to ensure complete transparency in the SIR process. On March 18, CEO Vivek Yadav held a training programme for deputy district election officers on the upcoming Special Intensive Revision at the Secretariat. As many as 15 municipal commissioners, along with two additional municipal commissioners attended the training programme, who came from the urban local bodies of Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam, Eluru, Guntur, Nellore, Kurnool, Chittoor, Tirupati and others. Yadav had explained the need for taking up the SIR, key processes and the various roles of different ranks of officials. Technical training was also imparted on mapping of electors in BLO-App while the CEO had stressed the need for maximum mapping of electors in the present electoral roll with that of 2002 list. In his second letter to the CEO, Reddy asked for the list of Booth Level Officers (BLOs), observing that it is essential for effective coordination and participation in the process of revision and verification of electoral rolls. ''I request your good office to kindly furnish the constituency-wise list of BLOs, including their names, assigned polling stations/parts, and contact details, to recognised political parties in the interest of transparency, smooth coordination, and effective participation in the electoral process,'' he said. In another letter, Reddy complained that the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) were allegedly not receiving the application forms of YSRCP-authorised persons for appointment as Booth Level Agents (BLAs), despite submitting duly filled Form ID: BLA - 2. ''In several constituencies the concerned EROs are not receiving the filled appointment forms submitted on behalf of the party, causing serious inconvenience and obstruction in the process of appointment of Booth Level Agents for electoral roll revision activities,'' he said. According to Reddy, recognised political parties are entitled to appoint BLAs in accordance with the prescribed procedure to ensure transparency and effective participation in the revision of electoral rolls. Non-receipt of such forms by the concerned EROs is causing prejudice to the democratic rights and participation of the political party in the electoral process, he said. He also requested Yadav to issue instructions to all the concerned EROs across the state to receive Form ID: BLA-2 intimations and process the same in accordance with law ''without any delay or obstruction''. Further, he wrote another letter to Yadav, requesting for a comprehensive awareness programme for all recognised political parties on the SIR of electoral rolls. Reddy said SIR is an important exercise directly connected with the democratic rights of voters and the conduct of free and fair elections. ''In view of the ongoing revision activities, several doubts and concerns are being raised regarding the procedures for inclusion, deletion, correction, migration, verification, and digital processing of voter data,'' he said. In order to avoid confusion and to ensure transparency, he asked the CEO to conduct awareness and orientation programmes for the representatives of all political parties across the state.