The Maharashtra chief electoral officer has requested an extension for the ongoing process of issuing notices to voters. This comes as officials begin hearings next week for electors whose entries are marked as unmapped or contain logical discrepancies. The extension aims to ensure that all affected voters are adequately informed and can participate in the upcoming electoral process.
It has also sought verification of the 1.54 crore voters in the ASD (absent, shifted, dead) category, a separate list of the 1.22 crore voters flagged for unmapped entries or logical discrepancies, prompt physical notices, and at least three opportunities for hearings. Civil rights groups and Congress had demanded an extension of the timeline due to the poor response.
“There should be proper transparency, and no eligible voter should be left out,” a Congress functionary told TOI . Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee has sought a two-month extension, citing delays in issuing notices and the festival period. Ganesh festivities muted participation in the camps for filing claims and objections While the state had announced special camps on Saturday and Sunday.
Online Hearings to Streamline Electoral Process
The Election Commission (EC) has announced that hearings will be conducted only in exceptional circumstances, as determined by the Election Registration Officer (ERO). These hearings are expected to take place primarily online, a move aimed at simplifying the process while documentation is gathered. Electors may designate an adult family member to attend the hearing on their behalf if necessary. An election official stated, “Online hearing has been sought for the state as it would ease the process even as documents are collected.” The EC is directing officials to enhance online hearing facilities to facilitate this transition.
In a statement, it said that booth-level officers (BLOs) will visit the homes of notice recipients to collect the required documents and upload them to the ECINET portal for consideration by the electoral registration officer (ERO). “The arrangement is intended to avoid unnecessary inconvenience and apprehension among electors,” the office said. The office had suggested a new provision in ECINET, allowing the ERO/AERO to decide whether a personal hearing is necessary in each case, including a third option in their login to mark an elector as “exempted from hearings. Personal hearings will now be required only when the documents submitted are insufficient, unsatisfactory, or not furnished.
Electors will not ordinarily be required to appear personally before the ERO or assistant electoral registration officer. EC has also eased the hearing process following a meeting held on Saturday.