UP CEO orders audit of all voter forms entered since April 10

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer Navdeep Rinwa has ordered an audit of every Form 6, Form 7 and Form 8 entered by computer assistants since April 10, the day the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) ended, to prevent a recurrence of irregularities reported in Pilibhit and Azamgarh.The order was issued at a virtual meeting on Oct 24 with divisional commissioners, district election officers, electoral registration officers (EROs), assistant EROs and computer assistants.Officials were told that any similar irregularity found during the audit would make the ERO, assistant ERO and computer assistant concerned liable for action under Section 32 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950.

The district election officer could also be held responsible for inadequate supervision.Divisional commissioners, designated as roll observers, were directed to closely supervise electoral-roll work in their districts. The CEO warned that lapses by officials would invite action and asked them to study Section 32, which concerns breaches of official duty in preparing electoral rolls. Officials were also told not to share their ERONET login IDs or passwords.

The CEO barred computer assistants from entering applications received in physical form. Booth-level officers (BLOs) must digitise all such applications through the BLO app, while physical forms must be kept safely. EROs have been asked to review pending Forms 6, 7 and 8 every day and ensure their prompt disposal in accordance with the rules.Complaints received since April 10 through the national grievance service portal, the public grievance redressal system, social media and other channels must be resolved promptly and on their merits.

Officials were also told to prevent the recurrence of errors identified while examining complaints from political parties and on social media.The meeting reviewed complaints circulating on social media about duplicate voters. The CEO expressed displeasure that district election officers in Bulandshahr, Sitapur, Ghaziabad and Aligarh had not submitted reports on time and directed them to do so promptly. Officials were instructed to remove all duplicate entries before the draft electoral roll for the upcoming Special Summary Revision (SSR) is published.

The draft electoral roll is scheduled for publication on Nov 12.Officials who had received training on ECINET, including the information and functions available on the dashboards for district election officers, EROs and assistant EROs, were instructed to update their personal mobile numbers on the portal in place of their CUG numbers to avoid disruption when BSNL connectivity is unavailable. They were also asked to change their passwords immediately in accordance with the prescribed password policy.The CEO also directed officials to ensure that no request under the “Book a Call with BLO” service on the ECINET app and the voters.eci.gov.in portal remains pending for more than 48 hours. BLOs must contact voters before marking them as “Unavailable”. Failure to respond to call requests on time or selecting that option without contacting voters could invite strict action following complaints.

The meeting also reviewed complaints from the Oct 24 special campaign day about BLOs arriving late or remaining absent from polling booths. Reports were sought on the BLOs concerned. The CEO warned that such complaints during special campaign days in the upcoming SSR would not be condoned.