Manipur Cong flags concern over alleged irregularities in SIR

Imphal: Manipur Congress on Monday expressed serious concern over alleged irregularities in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state, claiming that unauthorised persons may have been involved in parts of the voter verification process.Speaking to the media at the Congress Bhavan in Imphal, PCC member and former minister Kh Loken Singh said the Election Commission of India (ECI) had undertaken the SIR exercise to ensure that every eligible citizen above 18 years is included in the electoral rolls while removing ineligible voters.Loken said the ECI has laid down detailed guidelines for the exercise, including house-to-house visits by booth level officers (BLOs), distribution and collection of enumeration forms and verification of voter details. However, he alleged that irregularities have surfaced in polling stations No. 11/11 and 11/12 under the Sagolband assembly constituency.He claimed enumeration forms were found distributed without the knowledge of the BLOs concerned, while the mobile phone numbers recorded against the BLOs in the appointment orders did not belong to the concerned individuals.“The appointed BLOs are reportedly unaware about their appointment. Instead, some vested-interest persons are allegedly functioning on their behalf and distributing the enumeration forms,” Loken said.Since the SIR exercise involves uploading forms and processing voter-related information through registered BLO mobile numbers, he said any misuse could affect the rights of voters and compromise the integrity of the electoral roll.Loken said the issue was particularly significant in Manipur, where concerns over demographic changes and allegations of bogus voters have frequently been raised.Loken maintained Congress was hopeful that the ineligible voters would be removed with the conduct of the SIR in the state. But, when such irregularities surfaced, he expressed doubts about whether the SIR is being conducted in the ruling BJP’s interest.Enumeration phase for SIR in Manipur began on Saturday and will continue till June 28.