Chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar visits Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad on Thursday
Kumar said that after the SIR in around 12 states, election authorities had received no appeals against name deletions.
Ahmedabad: Complaints of name deletion received during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) would be “110 per cent resolved” before the next Lok Sabha elections, Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar said in Ahmedabad on Thursday. Outlining a step-by-step appeal process, Kumar said documents would be central to establishing eligibility and citizenship. He also defended the transparency of India’s election system and said criticism of the Election Commission of India (ECI) was part of democracy. Then you can go to court,” he said. Asked whether the thousands of complaints received during the SIR exercise could be resolved before the next LS polls, Kumar replied, “110 per cent”. Responding to a question on relentless criticism of the Election Commission of India and whether a line should be drawn if such criticism affects public faith in the constitutional body, Kumar said, “I do not think we can draw a line.
His confident response came during a special interaction with citizens on ‘Conducting Elections in India – The Largest Democracy in the World’ organised at Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA). “You can complain to the SDM. If it is rejected, you can appeal to the district collector, and a second appeal can be filed to the state chief electoral officer. He added that he was monitoring the process regularly. Any number of lines you can draw, and every one of them will be breached. It is okay to take the criticism.”
Chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar visits Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad on Thursday Kumar said people whose names were excluded from the rolls could approach election authorities through a multi-level appeal process.
