- EC to conduct Special Summary Revision for UP polls.
- SSR is an annual exercise, distinct from comprehensive SIR.
- Voters can apply online for inclusion in electoral rolls.
Facing scrutiny over the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the Election Commission of India is likely to hold a special summary revision (SSR) of electoral rolls in Uttar Pradesh ahead of next year's assembly polls.
According to a report by Hindustan Times, people aware of the matter said that the exercise is likely to be conducted in October-November. However, specific dates are yet to be announced.
The poll body is likely to release the voter list for the UP assembly elections in the first week of January, and the SSR is expected to be done before that. The last SSR in the state was conducted ahead of the 2022 assembly polls. Back then, the final voter list was published on January 5, 2022.
What is SSR?
Like SIR, SSR is also an exercise of cleaning the electoral rolls to ensure only genuine voters remain in the list. However, SIR is a comprehensive exercise taken up in decades. On the other hand, SSR is an annual exercise, generally conducted before the elections.
SSR does not involve mandatory door-to-door enumeration; rather depends on published rolls and a mechanism for public claims and objections.
EC's 'No voter to be left behind'
Notably, the poll body has recently launched a 'no voter to be left behind' campaign in 20 states where the SIR has already been completed to address concerns over deletions of voters.
The fresh drive intends to add genuine voters into the rolls in case they are accidentally left out during SIR.
Like SIR, the voters applying for addition of their names will have to fill Form 6 along with a declaration form, mapping themselves of their parents in the 2002-03 rolls.
ALSO READ: Congress Overhauls UP Unit: Aradhana Misra Mona Named State Chief, Imran Masood Working President
Speaking about the campaign, UP chief electoral officer Navdeep Rinwa said that eligible citizens can apply for inclusion online through ECI's Citizen Service Portal or ECINET application. However, he did not explicitly mention SSR.