It's time to weed out the fake voter

Mail today had carried a story on Friday, November 28, highlighting the danger that a number of bogus votes could be cast in the forthcoming Delhi assembly elections early next year. Rival parties have begun to trade charges and have also sent their complaints to the Chief Electoral Officer of Delhi.

The accusations included the featuring of bogus (or duplicate) names in the electoral rolls for last Assembly elections held in Delhi in 2013, where, in some cases, the voters’ names and residential addresses were similar but there was a slight variation in parentage. Such "duplicate cards" were deliberately used to cast bogus votes, alleged the complainants. 

Flaws in roll 

I must make it clear here that as far as the election authorities are concerned, the presence in the electoral roll of duplicate names or the names of those who have died or those who may have moved out of the precinct of a voting booth, are a definite "no no", that need to be weeded out. For, if the electoral roll is flawed, then so are the elections. And if bogus names exist, there is every possibility that they can be misused. 

Large cities do pose problems as far as the accuracy of the electoral roll is concerned. Our metros are huge. People constantly move to other localities. Young people frequently change jobs and houses. Large cities are constantly witnessing spurts of construction activities. A single dwelling with one family of voters may be replaced by a high rise, where the number of voters can dramatically increase. The electoral roll must also constantly reflect these changes. For this reason, we revise the electoral roll every year, so as to accommodate those who have turned 18 on January 1 of that year.

For the forthcoming Delhi Assembly elections, a revision of the electoral roll is already underway. It will conclude on January 5, 2015. It seeks to incorporate new voters, delete names of those who may have died or moved out(or in as the case may be). This revision is making a concerted effort to remove all duplicate names. A number of duplicate photos have emerged, some deliberately spread over more than one constituency, possibly with a view to bogus voting. Vigilance in this regard is also the obligation of all civic–minded citizens, for we all have a stake in a healthy and clean election. 

The Election Commission of India has now most usefully employed de-duplication software for at least eight years, as far as I remember. We used it to telling effect in several cities across the country. I particularly recall that in Kolkata, where we found the same Bandhopadhyas and Banerjees (and for that matter the Chattopadhyas, Chatterjis and Chatterjees, as well as the Mukhopadhyas and Mukherjees) at the same address. 

De-duplication software 

This software easily picked up duplicate names as well as duplicate photographs. Often enough, in such cases, the residential addresses are similar. 

One of the major problems in this regard lie with the political parties. They usually don’t do their homework on time. They seldom scrutinise names of their missing voters. What actually tends to happen is that it is the declared candidate who starts looking at the electoral list. By this time, it is usually too late to make any change, for candidate names are often announced just two to three weeks before the election date. By then, it also becomes too late for the electoral authority to make changes in the rolls, which would have been printed and distributed. 

The election machinery, headed in Delhi by the able and articulate CEO Vijay Dev, has swung into action to eliminate duplicate names from the lists. He must also take note of all published complaints. Delhi is divided into nine districts, and each is headed by a District Magistrate, who is the supervisory officer of constituencies falling in that district. They need to keep strict supervision over the work of the Booth Level Officers (BLO) falling under their charge, for it is the BLO who is the custodian of the list of her/his election station. 

As citizens, meanwhile, we must cooperate with our BLO once we have verified her/his credentials. I vividly recall an incident when I was the CEC — an intrepid lady BLO went several times to a house in Delhi’s tony Defence Colony, to be shooed away each time by the chowkidar (security guard) at the gate. 

Booth-incharge 

On her fourth attempt, finding a different face, she declared herself to be from the water department. She said that all the residents were defaulters and if immediate payments were not made, the water supply would be disconnected. 

She promptly got admission and collected her electoral data. But we did not make it easy for her.

Having your name in two or more places is an offence if we have deliberately given two or more addresses in Form 6. We then need to fill in Form 7 to delete our previous address record. Those of us who have access to a computer must verify that they have their name only in the locality where they have resided. If a name is missing or is to be introduced, then the relevant Form 6 must be filled in and submitted. The CEO of Delhi must implement this procedure as people–friendly as possible. 

But for those who deliberately choose to flout the law to cast bogus votes for A B or Z on the day of the poll, must be punished with an immediate FIR and arrest, so that the message passes swiftly that nothing will be allowed to vitiate a free, fair and transparent election.