Nagpur SIR verification ends amid last-minute rush; over 14 lakh voters’ forms remain uncollected

Nagpur : The verification phase of the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls concluded on Monday across Nagpur district amid a frantic last-day rush by voters, confusion at several polling booths, and mounting concerns over the fate of more than 14.26 lakh electors whose Enumeration Forms (EFs) could not be collected during the month-long exercise.

According to data released by the District Election Office at 3 pm on August 17, only 31,88,930 of the district’s total 46,38,589 registered voters had their Enumeration Forms digitised, resulting in an overall digitisation rate of 68.75 per cent. Another 23,553 forms had been received but were yet to be digitised.

However, the biggest concern remains the 14,26,106 voters, accounting for 30.74 per cent of the electorate, who were categorised as ‘uncollectable’ after Booth Level Officers (BLOs) were unable to collect their Enumeration Forms during the verification drive.

The figures also highlight a significant urban-rural divide in the implementation of the exercise. Rural Assembly constituencies recorded an average digitisation rate of 76.20 per cent, substantially higher than the 62.08 per cent achieved in urban constituencies.

Among the Assembly segments, Umred emerged as the best-performing constituency with 84.20 per cent of forms digitised, followed by Katol (82.54 per cent) and Ramtek (80.87 per cent). At the other end of the spectrum, Nagpur West recorded the lowest digitisation rate at 59.43 per cent, followed by Nagpur Central (61.88 per cent) and Nagpur South (62 per cent).

Interestingly, despite lower digitisation figures in some cases, five constituencies, Saoner, Umred, Ramtek, Nagpur East and Nagpur South-West, achieved 100 per cent completion of the verification process when both digitised and uncollectable voters were taken into account.

The Election Commission had twice extended the deadline for submission of Enumeration Forms, first from the original schedule to August 8 and later to August 17, in an effort to improve coverage. During the extension period, election authorities displayed lists of uncollectable voters at polling stations and organised weekend special camps to encourage electors to submit their forms.

With the field verification exercise now over, the focus shifts to the next phase of the revision process. The draft electoral roll will be published on August 24, after which electors whose names are missing, incorrectly entered, or proposed for deletion can file claims and objections before the Electoral Registration Officer between August 24 and September 23. The final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on October 27.

Despite repeated appeals by election authorities to complete the verification process before the deadline, the final day witnessed confusion and frustration at several locations, with many voters alleging that their Enumeration Forms were refused by Booth Level Officers.

Several electors claimed that when they approached their respective BLOs on Monday to submit the forms, they were informed that the officers had already handed over all collected records to higher election authorities and were no longer authorised to accept additional forms.

According to voters, some BLOs said they had received strict instructions through official communication channels to complete the submission process before the deadline. They allegedly told electors that all forms had already been deposited with election officials and no further submissions could be accepted.

The situation was particularly chaotic in Besa-Pipla Nagar Panchayat, where multiple voters alleged that BLOs refused to receive their Enumeration Forms despite them arriving before the close of the verification exercise. Residents claimed that BLOs showed them messages circulated in an official WhatsApp group of the Nagar Panchayat, purportedly sent by the Chief Officer, directing field staff to complete submission of all Enumeration Forms at the earliest.

According to the voters, the messages also warned BLOs of strict disciplinary action for delays, with some officials allegedly being told they could be “paraded before the District Collector” if targets were not achieved within the stipulated time.

The alleged refusal to accept forms on the final day has left many electors uncertain about whether their details will be reflected in the draft electoral roll or whether they will have to submit fresh claims after its publication.

The uncertainty has further heightened anxiety among voters whose names already appear in the list of ‘uncollectable’ electors, as they now await the publication of the draft electoral rolls on August 24 to ascertain their electoral status.

Source: Nagpur Today