Voter whose Form 6 was rejected questions EC after fresh re-enrolment clarification

Kolkata: Election Commission’s decision to allow Form 6 for re-enrolment of voters deleted during SIR has led a 62-year-old man, who had taken the same route before Bengal Assembly polls, to question who should be held responsible for taking away his right to vote.Hasir Mallick, a resident of Uttarpara, had his name struck off the rolls when the post-SIR roll was published in Feb. He had earlier appeared for hearings after his name was flagged for “logical discrepancy”. Advised by some acquaintances, Mallick filed a Form 6 online.Form 6 is meant for enrolment of new voters. It is meant for those who attain the age of 18 or are applying for enrolment for the first time.“Names of my son and wife were in the roll and my name had been removed. I filed a Form 6 online. I received a message asking me to appear at the office of SDO, Serampore. There the officials told me that I cannot file Form 6 as I was not a new voter and my name had been deleted,” Mallick told TOI. Later, Mallick received a message that his application had been rejected.He later filed an appeal with the SIR tribunals, a decision on which is still pending. “I do not know whether I will be able to vote in the next elections also. My son’s passport is due for renewal next year. I am now worried whether his passport will be rejected because his father’s name does not feature on the voters’ list,” said Mallick.Nearly seven months since his application was rejected, Election Commission said on Tuesday that voters deleted from draft SIR rolls may seek re-inclusion by filing Form 6. “EC should have announced its decision much earlier,” he said. “I also need to know whether I can file a Form 6 now as my name was missing from the final roll and I have also appealed to the tribunals,” he asked.Election Commission on Tuesday clarified that no action will be taken against a previous elector whose name is deleted from draft rolls published during SIR and who seeks re-inclusion by filling in Form 6. In a communication to CEOs of all states and Union Territories on Tuesday, EC said voters who are not registered in another constituency can file Form 6 for re-enrolment if their names were missing from draft SIR rolls.Recalling a Delhi HC order dated Oct 14 that held as “misplaced” the apprehension of an applicant, who argued that submitting Form 6 would amount to making a false declaration, EC directed that “no action shall be initiated under Section 31 of the R P Act by an ERO against an elector merely on the ground that the elector had been included in a previous electoral roll and has submitted Form 6 during the SIR process or afterwards, provided the elector is not already enrolled in any other parliamentary or assembly constituency and the declaration made is otherwise in accordance with law”.You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kolkata | Silver Rate in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata | Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Petrol Price in Kolkata | Diesel Price in Kolkata | CNG Price in Kolkata | LPG Price in KolkataStay updated with the latest Kolkata news. Download the TOI App.