New Delhi: Delhi Congress in-charge Qazi Nizamuddin has questioned a notice issued to him during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, alleging that the basis for the notice contradicts age details available in the Election Commission’s own records.
In a statement, Nizamuddin said he had received a notice stating that the age gap between him and his parents was less than 15 years. He, however, pointed to the Election Commission’s 2003 electoral roll records, which, according to him, show his father’s age as 63 years, his mother’s age as 50 years, and his own age as 27 years.
Nizamuddin argued that these figures themselves demonstrate that there was no basis for raising a question about an unusually small age difference between him and his parents. He stressed that the records being referred to are maintained by the Election Commission itself.
Questioning the manner in which notices are being generated under the SIR exercise, the Congress leader said the incident had raised serious doubts about the reliability of the process. He demanded that the Election Commission clearly explain the criteria and data on the basis of which such notices are being issued to electors.
The controversy comes amid the ongoing SIR exercise, which involves scrutiny and verification of electoral-roll details. Official Election Commission and government portals show that SIR processes use electoral-roll records, including earlier revision data, for voter verification and revision.
Nizamuddin maintained that if a person’s own electoral records contain age details that do not support the grounds cited in a notice, the Election Commission must address the discrepancy and clarify the mechanism behind the verification process. His statement is likely to add to the continuing political debate surrounding the implementation and accuracy of the SIR exercise.