In recent weeks, the question of missing names in voter lists has become the most controversial issue in India. This controversy is related to alleged irregularities in the course of the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of lists of eligible voters.
Those opposing the government and the Election Commission claim that names of around 130 million (13 crore) eligible voters may be missing from these lists—approximately 11 to 12% of eligible voters. One way of reaching these figures is to deduct the names appearing on revised voter lists from estimates of the adult population. There are some minor problems in this procedure, but let these pass; I am happy to accept the estimates provided by critics of SIR before proceeding further.
Here I would like to draw attention to the fact that in the dozens of elections in India in which I have voted over the last five decades, there were always complaints on voting day that some voters who went to the polling booth were told their name was not on the voting list and so they could not vote, or who came to know their name was not in the list and so did not go for voting. While such complaints existed even in our colony, these were even more prevalent in the nearby slum area where there was greater mobility of people shifting elsewhere, coming in, or more regularly going to their villages.
Why has this been happening to a lesser or greater extent in most elections? This is likely to happen partly because of genuine issues in conducting elections in the most populated country in the world—logistic problems, overworked election staff (including temporary staff in other government jobs who are given additional election duties)—and partly because of deliberate dishonesty under political pressure to exclude certain targeted groups or persons.
Whatever the reasons, there is a certain entity called "estimate of percentage of voting-age people missing from voting lists in a normal election in India." The percentage missing in SIR should be compared to this percentage to find out the extent of extra exclusion this time. There is clearly a difference between a headline which proclaims "12% voters excluded for the first time in India" and one which says, more truthfully in my humble opinion, that voters excluded appear to be higher than what has been more normally seen in elections in India.
Secondly, SIR is still an ongoing process, so those who have been excluded have a chance, using laid-down procedures, to get their names included. I agree with critics that these processes are often too difficult, particularly for poorer or less literate people, and so need to be significantly improved—something to which opposition parties and social movements can contribute better in more constructive, less confrontational ways.
Of course, I do not disagree with the issue raised by critics that in certain cases some individuals and groups may have been deliberately targeted for exclusion. It is exactly the challenge ahead to remove such injustices as well as ensure the inclusion of those who got left out in the first phase due to more routine and logistic reasons, such as being away from home or overworked staff not being able to reach them.
So the way ahead, in the humble opinion of this writer, is for the courts, election bodies, government, opposition parties, social movements, community organizations, and people to work together with cooperation to correct voter lists and make them very inclusive. The official side must agree that mistakes have been made; the opposition side must agree that they have been too confrontational. Ultimately, democracy works best when all sides can cooperate for improvements in true democratic spirit. There should not be any undue denial; there should not be any undue exaggeration. Let us get together to resolve the issue without allowing this to result in any violence or harm to our country. This is all the more important in the present complex international situation, which is very difficult and calls for increasing national unity in India and indeed in all countries of the Global South.
Before concluding, let me add with due humility that the issue of election irregularities is not at all new to me. In my younger days as an independent reporter, I had gone to cover elections in some villages of Bihar where there was almost complete booth capturing, and probably not a single voter could vote in a fair way in certain villages. I could get these reports published only with the greatest difficulty. However, I took care to mention that this was not happening everywhere and, on the whole, regular elections and democracy based on them were an achievement for India. Nothing is to be gained from exaggeration, just as nothing is to be gained from hiding actual irregularities.
---
The writer is Honorary Convener, Campaign to Save Earth Now. His recent books include Protecting Earth for Children, When the Two Streams Met (Freedom Movement of India), Man over Machine (Vision of Mahatma Gandhi), and Planet in Peril. His website is bharatdogra.in, and his YouTube channel is Bharat Dogra | Save Earth Campaign
Comments