Election Commission Directs State Poll Machinery to Identify and Refer Suspected Foreign Nationals During Voter List Revisions

The Election Commission has directed its state poll machinery to refer cases of "suspected foreign nationals" to competent authorities during the special intensive revision of voters' list. The EC also underlined that for electors whose enumeration forms have not returned, the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) would identify a probable cause, such as absent, shifted, dead and duplicate entry based on an inquiry from the nearby electors and would note the same. In a detailed set of instructions circulated on May 14 to state chief electoral officers on procedure to be followed while holding SIR, the poll authority said "... Also, electoral registration officers (EROs) will refer cases of suspected foreign nationals to the competent authority under the Citizenship Act, 1955. For these purposes, assistant EROs shall exercise ERO's powers independently..." As the EC was preparing for SIR in Bihar last year, its officials had claimed that several nationals from Bangladesh, Nepal and Myanmar were found by its grassroots level functionaries. But eventually, the poll authority did not share any numbers or proof of such people who were not eligible to be on the voters' list. Opposition parties had dubbed the EC's claims as a ploy to carry out SIR to target electors not aligned to the BJP and its allies.