MUMBAI: Senior leaders of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), led by Jayant Patil, on Wednesday met Maharashtra chief electoral officer S. Chockalingam to raise concerns over difficulties being faced by voters during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and sought corrective measures to make the process more transparent and accessible.The delegation comprised senior leader Jayant Patil, MLA Jitendra Awhad and Priya Patil, head of the party’s LGBTQ cell.Addressing the media after the meeting, Jayant Patil alleged that while the SIR exercise is under way, the voter list available on the app contains several discrepancies and inconsistencies. He also claimed that many Booth Level Officers (BLOs) appeared to be facing confusion over the process and, in several places, had not been able to reach voters.Patil said the delegation urged the Election Commission authorities to rectify errors in the electoral rolls at the earliest, simplify the process for voters and make it more transparent. The party also requested an extension of the ongoing revision exercise to ensure that eligible voters are not left out because of procedural difficulties.Despite raising concerns over the process, Patil appealed to citizens to complete their voter registration and verification formalities within the stipulated period.The delegation also highlighted issues faced by members of the LGBTQ community during the electoral roll revision process. Patil said Chockalingam assured them that no injustice would be caused to any section of voters and that the concerns raised by the delegation would be looked into.The meeting comes amid political scrutiny of the ongoing SIR exercise, with opposition parties in several states raising concerns over implementation, while election authorities have maintained that the revision is aimed at ensuring accurate and updated electoral rolls.
