Bhopal, Jan 21 (NationPress) The Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Madhya Pradesh, Umang Singhar, who is also a Congress MLA, has addressed a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the state, urging immediate action regarding the identified discrepancies and the apparent lack of transparency in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

In his correspondence, Singhar voiced his serious apprehensions about the extensive system-generated discrepancies and the ambiguous verification process that surfaced following the release of the draft electoral roll as part of the SIR initiative in Madhya Pradesh.

The Congress representative pointed out that numerous voters' names have been listed in the so-called discrepancy lists across nearly all districts, following the publication of the draft electoral roll.

Such discrepancies consist of anomalies such as the listing of more than six children, inconsistencies in the father's name, and irregular age differences of less than 15 years or exceeding 50 years between the voter and their parents.

“These discrepancies are purely data-driven and system-generated indicators meant to highlight cases for verification, not to make any final judgments on voter eligibility. However, the overwhelming scale of these discrepancies impacts millions of voters, fostering an environment of fear and confusion,” Singhar articulated in his letter.

Highlighting the Election Commission’s protocols concerning discrepancies, Singhar remarked that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are accountable for taking action only after issuing proper notice, conducting on-site physical verification, and allowing voters an opportunity to present their case.

Nevertheless, information gathered from various sources indicates that the notice distribution and verification process is sluggish. Additionally, many BLOs and district officials seem uncertain about the procedure, resulting in varied methods being employed in different areas. This has exacerbated voters' fears of potential name deletions, Singhar asserted.

The Congress leader called on the Election Commission to treat this issue with urgency and to provide necessary guidance to all District Election Officers, Electoral Registration Officers (EROs), and BLOs.

“This situation directly undermines the fundamental democratic right of citizens to vote, necessitating immediate administrative intervention. Discrepancies identified under SIR should solely serve as verification indicators, and it is inappropriate to demand documentation or remove names based solely on these,” he insisted.

It is noteworthy that following the SIR exercise, the Election Commission unveiled the draft electoral roll for Madhya Pradesh on December 23, revealing that over 42.7 lakh voters (7.4 percent) may potentially face deletion.