Aadhaar, mobile number mandate on SIR forms confuses public

CHENNAI: If your name does not match the name on your Aadhaar card, your online application will be rejected, and you must meet your Booth Level Officer (BLO) to submit the enumeration form offline. This confusion continues to create difficulties for voters during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.

The Election Commission of India has provided two options for filling out the enumeration form: online and offline. Under the offline method, BLOs distribute forms door-to-door. If anyone does not receive the form, they can fill it out through the online method.

However, those choosing the online option must have both their mobile number and Aadhaar number. Before accessing the online facility, electors must sign in using their mobile number, EPIC number or email ID.

After signing in, electors can log in using their registered mobile number or EPIC number and authenticate themselves using the OTP sent to their mobile. Once logged in, they can select the “Fill Enumeration Form” option.

This facility is available only to those whose name in the electoral roll matches the name on their Aadhaar card.

“I didn’t receive the enumeration form from my BLO due to my hectic work schedule from morning to evening. I also could not visit the special camps organised by the Election Department until the 25th of this month. I tried filling the form online, but I couldn’t, because the name on my Aadhaar card is different from the name on my EPIC (voter) card,” said a resident of Kodambakkam.

In the offline method, the Aadhaar number is optional, and technically optional online as well, but name matching with Aadhaar is mandatory for online submission. If the names do not match, voters must contact their BLO for further assistance. This has caused difficulties for office-goers and people working out of town whose names differ between Aadhaar and EPIC records.

“Online procedures may be simple for submitting filled-in forms. Young voters especially prefer using the technology provided by the ECI. But Aadhaar name matching is a major hardship for us,” a young voter from Choolaimedu said.

In Chennai and other metro cities, many people are reluctant to return the filled-in forms even though the Election Department has distributed around 95 per cent of the forms. Voters say that if the online process is simplified, the number of online submissions would increase significantly compared to offline.

"Youngsters like me prefer using technology provided by the Election Commission of India. But Aadhaar name matching is a major hardship for us,” says a young voter, Choolaimedu, Chennai.