EC rolls out e-verification system to prevent misuse of voter name deletion

The Election Commission has rolled out an e-verfication procedure to ensure that the provision to seek deletion of names from voters' list is not misused.

Those seeking removal of names or claiming objection to inclusion of names in the electoral roll will get a one-time password on their registered mobile phones.

"There could be cases where a person seeking removal of a name gives someone else's name or phone number while filing objection online. This added feature will present such a misuse," an official explained.

The feature was rolled out a week ago with poll authority officials insisting that it is not a reaction to wrongful attempts to delete names in Aland assembly constituency in Karnataka.

The EC said although the elector of the constituency can fill Form 7 online to apply for deletion of an entry from that particular constituency, it does not mean that the entry gets automatically deleted merely by submitting the Form 7.

In Aland, 6,018 Form 7 applications for deletion were submitted online, the poll body has said.

On verification, only 24 applications were found to be genuine, while 5,994 were found to be incorrect. Accordingly, 24 applications were accepted, and the 5,994 incorrect applications were rejected.

In a post on X, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday claimed that the EC has put a "lock" on "vote theft" only after he raised the matter.

He asked Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar when he would provide evidence to the Karnataka CID on the "deletion" of votes in Aland.

"Gyanesh ji, we caught the theft and only then did you remember to put a lock - now we'll catch the thieves too" Gandhi said.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha was referring to the EC's move to introduce the e-verification that requires phone number verification for addition or deletion of votes.