SIR begins in UP: Congress and SP allege caste bias in postings, last-minute transfers

Rinwa told party representatives that the first task at the district and Assembly level is to explain the SIR procedure and resolve queries.  “The first task is to sit with the representatives of the recognized political parties at the district and assembly level to explain the procedure and resolve all their queries under this,” he said.

Urging each recognised party to nominate an office-bearer for every district, Rinwa said, “ The second important work that the political parties have to undertake is that all the parties should appoint booth-level agents in every booth for the task. From the state level, every district should be assigned an office bearer for the tasks, who would in turn have booth-level agents under him.”

The CEO said the local Booth Level Officers (BLOs), being residents of the area, would be able to complete door-to-door verification within the allotted time, and stressed the need for cooperation from political parties.

But the Samajwadi Party (SP) alleged that the BLOs, ADMs (election) and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) had been appointed “on the basis of caste and religion” and demanded their removal. “Before conducting SIR for 154 million voters across 162,486 polling stations, appointments should be made in a fair and transparent manner, including people from all castes and religions without discrimination,” said SP state president Shyam Lal Pal.

He demanded that the EC make  “appointments that are fair and transparent and include people from all castes and religions without discrimination so that the credibility of the Election Commission is not questioned. ”

The Congress echoed concerns about administrative moves it said undermined the SIR. Party leader Akhilesh Pratap Singh alleged that large-scale transfers of district magistrates and other officers immediately after the SIR announcement violated ECI directions. “All these last-minute transfers should be cancelled,” he said, urging the commission to restore stability in the field administration before the exercise begins.

However, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, who chaired a “Muslim Bhaichara” meeting in Lucknow on Wednesday, later instructed party office-bearers to participate actively on the ground and ensure no eligible voter is omitted from the rolls.

Election officials have set out operational guidelines for districts. District Election Officers (DEOs) have been asked to brief parties on SIR procedures and ensure that “all eligible persons are included while no ineligible names are added.”

BLOs will carry out door-to-door verification and must provide each voter a signed copy of the form used to record details.

Authorities have also ordered inspections and maintenance of polling stations so that no station exceeds 1,200 voters, and asked districts to appoint volunteers to assist elderly, disabled, and poor voters.

SIR Calendar in UP

Oct 28- Nov 3: Preparation, training, and form printing

Nov 4 to Dec 4: Door-to-door distribution of enumeration forms

Dec 9: Publication of draft electoral rolls

Dec 9-Jan 8: Claims and Objection Period

Dec 9-Jan 31: Notice Phase (Hearing & Verification)

Feb 7: Publication of final voter list