The Election Commission of India will be kicking off the SIR in Haryana next month, so the Congress has made an early move to head off any hiccups that might have an impact. In a get-together for statewide planning on Wednesday, leaders were clear: they want clean rolls and no room for error when it comes to a voter’s rights.
‘We have one thing in mind: during the SIR, we don’t want an eligible elector to be left out, nor do we want anyone who doesn’t belong in there to be put in,’ said Opposition Leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda, leaving no room for misinterpretation. He also made it known that his people would be out in the field to see to it that ‘no genuine vote is done away with’.
What had the Congress in a huddle
You can think of the SIR as the ECI’s way of doing a country-wide check-up and update of the rolls. Since Haryana’s turn is up next month, the opposition is looking to set the tone before the ground-level work gets under way.
Hooda and Rao Narender Singh, president of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee, co-chaired Wednesday’s meeting with booth level agents from all over the state. There was no time for formalities; the talk was all about how to be quick and in sync, with a hard look at what needs to be done right now.
Getting the first line at the booth ready
Before the door-to-door checks start, the party put its booth level agents through some training at the session. These are the men and women put forward by the parties to be in specific polling areas, to help out and work with the officers the election authority has in place.
Hooda’s side is particular about how their own setup works. You have the BLA-1 for the constituency and the BLA-2 for the booth. How well they do their job is what will determine if errors are put right.
The opposition’s endgame
According to Hooda, this is a matter of being accurate, not of politics. The idea is to have every one who can vote in the list and keep the rest out, with the BLAs holding the fort with the official machinery.
He was also at pains to say the Congress will be on top of things, telling citizens to have a look at the rolls and put in an objection if need be. A watchful eye at the booth, he feels, is the best way to put a stop to any shenanigans when the lists are overhauled.
Here is what the party has laid out for its teams in Haryana:
– Make sure BLAs can spot a problem and act on it
– Be in step with BLOs on the ground
– Let voters know so a real vote isn’t taken off the table
– Keep an eye on new names to block any that don’t belong
What it means for the voter and the official
It’s a simple case for the voter: you can fix it, but you have to be on time. A roll without issues means less of a row on polling day and more trust in the whole affair, with fewer people coming back to say their name was missing.
Then there is the official side of things. Having a party-nominated BLA in the mix is another pair of eyes. If the BLA and BLO are in harmony, there is less chance of something slipping through and you can settle a disputed entry in short order.
So what’s in store
Hooda put it to the press that they had these in-depth talks for a reason – the SIR is starting in Haryana next month. His team will be with the BLAs every step of the way, following up in the field and making the necessary objections.
When the timetable is in full swing, it will be a test of process as much as anything. The Congress is making a point of being thorough at the booth and with the public, on the theory that if you are precise now, you won’t have to argue about it later.
