CEC says pure electoral rolls are bedrock of democracy; calls SIR process transparent

Kochi (PTI): CEC Gyanesh Kumar on Saturday said pure electoral rolls are the bedrock of democracy and the SIR of electoral rolls was conducted with the clear objective of ensuring that no eligible voter is excluded and no ineligible person is included.

Addressing a press conference here after reviewing preparations for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections here, he said democracy was not new to the state and that Kerala had taught democratic practices to many parts of the country and the world.

Recalling his association with the state, Kumar said Kerala had been his workplace for 18 years and he had served as the Ernakulam Collector around 22 years ago.

He said Kerala had 'Nattukuttams' (village gatherings) more than 1,000 years ago, which laid the foundation for collective decision-making.

"Kerala also made the first code of conduct way back in 1960, which was later adopted by the Election Commission of India in consultation with all political parties and which we today call the Model Code of Conduct," he said.

The CEC said Kerala had also been a pioneer in election management, with the first pilot use of electronic voting machines introduced in 1982 in the Paravoor Assembly constituency.

"With this strong foundation, all political parties of Kerala and the entire election machinery of the state have declared in one voice that the upcoming polls will not just be for the state but a model for the entire world," he said.

Kerala has 140 Assembly constituencies -- 124 general seats, 14 reserved for Scheduled Castes and two reserved for Scheduled Tribes.

"Pure electoral rolls are the bedrock of democracy. The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) that was undertaken recently had a single and clear objective — that no eligible voter should be excluded and no ineligible person should be included," he said.

He said Kerala has 2,69,53,644 voters, which is more than the combined population of Australia, Norway and Costa Rica.

Kumar said there would be 30,471 polling stations across the state, including around 5,000 new ones, and 100 per cent webcasting would be ensured. No polling station will have more than 1,200 electors.

He added that 397 polling stations will be managed entirely by women and over 790 model polling stations will be set up.

He said Kerala has around 2.43 lakh voters with disabilities.

More than two lakh senior citizens aged above 85 years, including 1,571 centenarians, will be eligible to vote from home.

There are 4.24 lakh voters in the 18–19 age group and nearly 45 lakh in the 20–29 age group, for whom special campaigns will be held at educational institutions to encourage them to participate in the "festival of democracy".

The Election Commission will ensure improved facilities for senior citizens and persons with disabilities, including ground-floor polling stations, ramps, wheelchairs and priority voting.

Mobile phones can be carried up to the entrance of polling stations and deposit facilities will be arranged, he said.

"In order to enable electors to select the candidate of their choice without any doubt, coloured photographs of candidates will be displayed on EVMs for the first time in Kerala," he said.

Kumar said earlier the Election Commission had more than 40 different applications, which have now been integrated into a single platform called ECINET.

The ECINET mobile software integrates over 40 applications and provides information for voters, candidates and other stakeholders. All polling stations will have 100 per cent webcasting to ensure transparency.

He said election updates, including voter turnout, will be provided every two hours.

Postal ballots will be counted two rounds before the EVM votes to avoid pressure on returning officers, he said.

"All data related to the election by way of indexing shall be made available within 72 hours of counting. The mandatory counting of VVPAT slips will also take place," he said.

There will be strict enforcement of the law during the election period without fear or favour, he said.

He added that polling stations would have a festive look to welcome electors and ensure a pleasant voting experience.

Enforcement agencies have been directed to curb inducements such as cash, liquor and narcotics during the election period, he said.

Kumar said the ECINET platform has a facility called cVIGIL through which violations of the Model Code of Conduct can be reported.

"The normal turnaround time for action is 100 minutes. Rather than creating narratives, it is better to put complaints on cVIGIL," he said.

He said the SIR exercise in Kerala was conducted effectively and if any eligible person has been left out, they can submit Form 6 along with the required documents to include their names in the electoral roll.

"The SIR exercise has been one of the most transparent processes to ensure that only electors who are eligible under Article 326 of the Constitution of India are included in the electoral rolls," he said.

Regarding West Bengal, Kumar said the SIR process there was being carried out in accordance with the Constitution and the directions of the Supreme Court.

Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi, and Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Ratan U Kelkar were also present.

The Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners also felicitated three first-time voters — Amritha, Sulaiman and Fenal — during the event.

They also honoured 96-year-old voter P V Visalam, transgender activist Sherin Antony and disabled activist Rajeev Paluruthy.