Pune: Opposition parties are firm on their demand for a two-month extension of the Oct 12 deadline for claims and objections under the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, citing humongous notices, drought and festivals.The parties said just over six lakh Form 6 applications were submitted so far seeking names’ inclusion in the electoral rolls, while 1.22 crore electors were flagged under unmapped voters and logical discrepancies. Notices were issued to them.A total of 6,05,097 Form 6 applications were submitted between Aug 31 and Oct 4, accounting for nearly 97% of the 6,24,054 forms received during the claims and objections period. A total of 11,251 Form 7 applications and 7,706 Form 8 applications for shifting across assembly constituencies were also submitted.The opposition argued that voters needed adequate time to respond to notices, submit documents and seek inclusion or correction of their electoral details. Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal last week urged chief electoral officer S Chockalingam to extend the deadline for claims and objections, calling the current window “grossly inadequate”.Several opposition parties sought an extension of the Oct 12 deadline to give drought-hit farmers additional time to respond to notices. Some leaders said festivals, including Navratra and Diwali, should also be taken into consideration while revising the date.Several new voters reported difficulties in filling up Form 6, reaching booth-level officers (BLOs) for assistance, and understanding what documents and declarations were required. Some citizens said they were unsure if merely submitting Form 6 would ensure inclusion of their names in the final electoral roll.Yug C (19) said the process should have been simplified. “Why should new electors be asked if their parents have been mapped? As long as I am a citizen of India, these things should not matter. If the aim is to ensure enrolment of all new voters, such criteria should not have been put in place,” he said.A senior citizen whose name was left out of the draft roll said she had filled the form again. “It is purely an additional work. I was not at home during the enumeration form distribution process. I have been a voter for years. I had to unnecessarily fill up Form 6 and give a false declaration that I have never been a voter. Election Commission of India should revise it,” she said.Nearly two crore names were excluded from the draft electoral rolls in the state. Maharashtra unit of Congress on Tuesday demanded the resignation of chief election commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and scrapping of the SIR exercise. The party demanded that elections be conducted using paper ballots instead of electronic voting machines.
