Delhi SIR: BJP, Congress seek more time for filing claims, objections

With less than 10 days left for city residents to file claims and objections, including submission of Form 6 applications for inclusion in the final electoral roll under the special intensive revision (SIR) in Delhi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Opposition Congress on Monday sought an extension of the September 30 deadline.

Notices have been generated for 33.1 lakh electors either for “logical discrepancies” or under the “no mapping” category. The claims and objections are to be disposed of by October 29. The final electoral roll is set to be published on November 4.

“The deadline for registering as a voter should be extended to October 15,” BJP spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor said.

Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra said he has directed party teams and booth-level agents to assist people who have received notices and help residents fill Form 6 applications.

He said the priority was to ensure that every citizen’s name is registered in the voter list at only one place in the country.

‘Procedure not clear’

Meanwhile, a delegation of Delhi Congress leaders, led by party Booth Management Committee chairman Rajesh Garg and chairman of the Legal and Human Resources Department Sunil Kumar, met Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Ashok Kumar and sought an extension of the deadline till November 30, citing delays in issuing notices and long queues at election offices.

“The Election Commission has not been able to issue more than half the notices. Most BLOs are not clear about the procedure for accepting replies to the notices,” party Delhi unit chief Devender Yadav said.

Since August 31, 92,284 Form 6 applications and 1,484 objections seeking deletion of names have been received, according to data available on Monday.

CEO Ashok Kumar said on September 19 that the situation would be assessed and an extension sought from the EC if necessary.