Poll Body Rolls Out E-Verification System To Prevent Misuse Of Voter Name Deletion

Election Commission Implements E-Verification System to Safeguard Against Voter List Manipulation

The Election Commission introduced this feature approximately one week ago, according to official sources. (File)

New Delhi:

The Election Commission has implemented a new e-verification process designed to prevent misuse of the mechanism for removing names from electoral rolls.

Individuals who request removal of names or raise objections to inclusions in the voter list will now receive a one-time password on their registered mobile devices for verification.

"This enhancement addresses potential scenarios where someone might provide false identification or contact information when filing online objections. The additional verification step will help prevent such misuse," an official explained.

The system was deployed approximately one week ago, with electoral officials emphasizing that it was not implemented in response to improper deletion attempts in Karnataka's Aland assembly constituency.

The Commission clarified that while constituency voters can submit Form 7 online to request removal of entries from that particular electoral list, submissions do not automatically result in deletions.

Regarding the Aland situation, the electoral body reported that 6,018 Form 7 deletion applications were submitted through online channels.

After thorough verification, only 24 applications were determined to be legitimate, while 5,994 were identified as invalid. Consequently, the 24 valid applications were processed, and the remaining 5,994 incorrect submissions were rejected.

On the social media platform X, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claimed Wednesday that the Election Commission implemented "protection against vote theft" only after he brought attention to the issue.

He questioned Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar about when evidence regarding vote "deletions" in Aland would be provided to the Karnataka CID.

"Gyanesh ji, we detected the irregularity, and only then did you implement security measures - we will identify those responsible as well," Gandhi stated.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha was referencing the Commission's introduction of e-verification that mandates phone number authentication for adding or removing voters from electoral rolls.