Key Demands Include a Two-Month Extension of the SIR Process, Protection of Existing Voters, Full Support for BLOs, and a Transparent Grievance Redressal Mechanism; Election Commission Assures Serious Consideration and Necessary Action
Mumbai: A high-level delegation of the Federation of Maharashtra Muslims (FMM) met today with the Chief Electoral Officer, Maharashtra, and submitted a detailed memorandum highlighting the challenges being faced by citizens during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in the state. The memorandum also proposed several measures to make the electoral process more transparent, fair, and citizen-friendly.
The delegation informed the Chief Electoral Officer that since the commencement of the SIR process, the Federation has established awareness campaigns and facilitation centres across Maharashtra. Through these centres, volunteers have been assisting citizens with the Enumeration process and promoting cooperation with Booth Level Officers (BLOs). The memorandum has been prepared on the basis of public grievances and suggestions received through these centres and from various districts across the state.
The memorandum first pointed out that the current duration of the Enumeration phase is inadequate. In view of the heavy monsoon rains, agricultural sowing season, displacement caused by redevelopment and demolition drives, and other practical difficulties, the delegation demanded that the Enumeration period be extended by at least two months, particularly since no immediate elections are scheduled in Maharashtra.
The delegation further requested that BLOs be temporarily relieved of non-election-related government duties to reduce their workload. It also recommended the appointment of Assistant BLOs wherever necessary, refresher training for all BLOs, public availability of updated contact details, office locations, and jurisdictions of BLOs, and clear instructions directing BLOs to actively assist citizens in resolving anomalies and other election-related issues.
The memorandum also emphasised that a large number of citizens remain unaware of the SIR process, important deadlines, and the documents required for Enumeration, particularly senior citizens, women, migrant workers, economically weaker sections, and rural residents. It therefore urged the Election Commission to launch a largescale multilingual awareness campaign through print, electronic, and social media, strengthen facilitation centres, and establish mobile verification units.
Highlighting confusion surrounding documentation and the mapping process, the delegation requested that comprehensive public guidelines be issued explaining different categories of anomalies and the documents required for each. It further recommended relaxation of documentation requirements where historical records are unavailable, appropriate consideration of EPIC numbers and legally changed names during the mapping process, expansion of the list of acceptable documents, and issuance of uniform written instructions to all field officers regarding duplicate entries.
The Federation also expressed concern that several citizens who had successfully voted in the 2024 elections are currently unable to locate their names or EPIC records during the ongoing process. The delegation urged that such voters should not be compelled to apply as fresh applicants without justification. It further requested that if the name of any eligible voter has been omitted due to an error, it should be restored through a simple and expeditious correction mechanism after appropriate verification.
To strengthen transparency and accountability, the memorandum called for the publication of detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) governing the issuance of notices, documentation requirements, and criteria for deletion of names from the electoral rolls. It also recommended the establishment of an effective, transparent, and time-bound grievance redressal system, robust audit and supervisory mechanisms for data entry and verification, and independent oversight of the entire SIR process.
The delegation stressed that the fundamental objective of the SIR exercise should be to ensure the inclusion of every eligible voter in the electoral process, rather than depriving any citizen of his or her constitutional right to vote due to administrative, technical, or procedural shortcomings. Accordingly, it urged that all election officials be instructed to adopt a citizen-friendly and facilitative approach.
The delegation included Bhiwandi MLA Rais Shaikh, Maulana Hafiz Iqbal Chunawala (Member, Shura, Darul Uloom Deoband Waqf), Maulana Zaheer Abbas Rizvi (Vice President, Shia Personal Law Board), Farid Shaikh (President, Aman Committee Mumbai), Shakir Shaikh, and Abdul Mujeeb Shaikh.
According to the delegation, the Chief Electoral Officer, Maharashtra, carefully heard all the issues raised in the memorandum, described the suggestions as constructive, and assured the delegation that all the demands would be given due consideration and that appropriate action would be taken in the larger public interest and to ensure the transparency and integrity of the electoral process.
