Mumbai: As many as 2 crore voters – a fifth of the 9.8 crore electors in the state – will not be included in the draft list of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) in the state because their enumeration forms were uncollectable, which deemed them ineligible. The final data on enumeration forms collected in SIR’s house-to-house survey was provided on Tuesday.The state’s four densely populated metros – Mumbai City, Mumbai Suburban, Pune and Thane – have reported the highest number of uncollectable forms accounting for 46.7% of the total. Pune reported the highest number of uncollectible forms (28.7 lakh) followed by Thane (28.6 lakh), Mumbai Suburban (26.6 lakh) and Mumbai City (9.5 lakh).However, this is not a permanent exclusion. Voters with uncollectable forms can apply to be part of the SIR voter list in the one-month period after the draft list is published on Aug 24. First-time voters can also apply during this period, which ends on Sept 23. The names on the uncollectable voter list will be provided to political parties and will be on the websites of district election offices and the chief electoral officers.Also, citizens can continue to apply to the voter list in the regular course after the final SIR list is published on Oct 27.The 2 crore voters with uncollectable forms account for 21.1% of the state’s electors. The uncollectable forms will result in eligible voters in the draft list falling to 7.7 crore from the state’s 9.8 crore electorate in June.State chief electoral officer S Chockalingam said the figure was within the norm of SIR in the country. “Rather than focus on percentages, the main issue is no eligible voter should be left out,” he said. Migration, redevelopment and shifting of residences made it challenging to track voters in urban areas, officials reiterated.However, some like Congress politician Amin Patel were sceptical about those with uncollectable forms being able to be added to the voter list. “There is not enough manpower to take these applications within one month. As it is, there was not enough manpower for the enumeration survey,” he said.Of the 2 crore uncollectable forms in the state, 75.5 lakh (7.7%) related to absent voters and 76.8 lakh (7.8%) to those who had permanently shifted residence. Another 34.8 lakh (3.5%) related to dead voters, 17.6 lakh (1.8%) to duplicate voters and 2.2 lakh (0.2%) related to others, including those who had filled the SIR form in another state.The SIR process will continue in the state till the final list is published on Oct 27.Indeed, more ineligible voters could be weeded out once election authorities call for documents related to the SIR. During the period from publication of the draft roll on Aug 24 till Oct 22, election authorities can issue notices to call for documents and settle claims and objections.Will inclusion in the SIR be treated as proof of citizenship? Election authorities say, “Those on the voter list have to be Indian citizens because only citizens have the right to vote. However, voting is not mandatory in the country. And if an Indian citizen chooses not to enroll as a voter, he cannot be denied citizenship,” said a senior official.
