Electoral Rolls Manipulation: confusion and irregularities are escalating in Nirmal district as the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process struggles to identify fake voters. Instead of improving transparency, the ground-level situation has grown more chaotic. The problem is especially severe in towns like Nirmal, Bhainsa, and Khanapur.
A major issue is that Electoral Rolls Manipulation allows the same person to vote in two different wards. For instance, in Ward 12, forms are filed under a father’s name, while in Ward 28, the same voter appears using a grandfather or grandmother’s name. The software fails to flag these entries as duplicates because Aadhaar linkage is not mandatory, turning this loophole into a significant boon for fraudsters.
Despite Election Commission warnings of jail punishment, the practice continues unchecked. Booth level officers are not conducting proper household visits. Instead, they sit in one spot and distribute forms only to people they know. As a result, elderly residents, women, and daily wage workers often struggle to locate the officers, sometimes waiting for hours without receiving forms. In areas from Bhagyanagar Colony to Priyadarshini Nagar, only three people reportedly got forms after a two-hour wait. Even educated citizens face these hurdles, making the situation worse for common people.
To curb Electoral Rolls Manipulation, authorities must carry out accurate field re-verification. Making Aadhaar linkage mandatory and thoroughly comparing voter data with similar names would help. Without these steps, the Election Commission’s promised transparency will remain just on paper, ultimately damaging public trust.