The Hindu : Relocated slum-dwellers can keep their vote: EC

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 21, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Relocated slum-dwellers can keep their vote: EC

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, MARCH 20. Following complaints of large-scale "dis-enfranchisement'' of voters due to relocation of slum clusters, the Election Commission in a significant order today ruled that the names of relocated slum-dwellers could not be deleted from the voters list of the area, until it was `ensured' that their name had been added to the electoral rolls of their new residence.

Today's order has also come as a reprieve for the Delhi Congress leaders and several social activists. The Congress leaders including the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, had alleged that the names of a large number of slum-dwellers from the Yamuna Pushta were being removed from the existing voters' list without their names being added to their electoral rolls at their new place of residence. This, the Congress had alleged, was being done to purposefully dis-enfranchise the poor people so as to `adversely affect' the political fortunes of a particular political party.

In its order, the Election Commission directed the Chief Electoral Officer for Delhi not to delete the names of the people living in slums, which have been demolished, due to some Delhi High Court order or because of other urgent works like Metro Rail. "The names, if not already deleted, shall continue to be on the voters list of the earlier constituency from where he has been evicted so long as his name is not included in the electoral roll of his new constituency," the order said.

The Commission in its letter conceded that in many cases, effective steps were not taken by the authorities concerned with the demolition / eviction of slums and also by electoral registration officers to include the names of the electoral rolls of the constituencies where they have settled after the relocation drive. As a result, these people are being deprived of their "right to franchise", the Commission observed.

So far the normal practice was to simply delete the names of the people based on the list provided by the department / agency responsible for relocation / eviction from the voters' list of the area, the officials said. This has resulted in a hue and cry from large number of social activists and the Congress, alleging that this was politically motivated. Today's order makes it possible for the evicted slum people to vote at their previous residence, officials said. At the same time, the order would not be applicable to the slum dwellers, whose names have already been deleted, sources said.

This direction of the Election Commission would be in force till the Lok Sabha elections get over in May, the order said.

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