Jharkhand SIR: 36% of name deletion applications came from 1 assembly seat, data shows

Roughly a third of the 13,000 applications received by the Jharkhand chief electoral officer (CEO) for deletion of names from the electoral roll came from a single assembly seat in the eastern state, data showed on Thursday.

The special intensive revision began in Jharkhand on June 30.

According to data, Jharkhand flagged 4.36 million under logical discrepancies. The last date for logical discrepancy hearing is October 12. September 30 was the last date for filing applications for addition, objections, and claims for names deletion (due to various reasons). The final roll will be released on October 19.

Chatra accounts for 36% of deletion applications

Of the 13,443 applications received for name deletion, 4,790 entries were marked in the Chatra assembly constituency in Chatra district alone, accounting for about 36% of the total. The seat is held by Janardhan Paswan of LJP-R, who won by over 18,000 votes in the 2024 assembly polls.

Also Read | Congress to hold protest across Jharkhand on September 28, seek resignation of CEC Gyanesh Kumar

Only two other districts received over a thousand Form 7, including 1,906 applications in West Singhbhum and 1099 forms in Deoghar. The names deletion applications in the remaining 21 districts are in three digits.

CEO says no anomaly found in Chatra

CEO K Ravi Kumar said the data was verified with the Chatra district administration and no anomaly was found. Kumar said more Form 7 would be generated during the verification process in other seats as well.

“It has been verified. There has been no case of bulk applications beyond the prescribed limit. The process is designed so that more Form 7 applications will be generated. Many applications received under Form 8, which are for shifting and rationalisation of booths, would consequently generate automated form 7 entries. Even when shifting or changing a booth, the name must be deleted from the existing booth, which can only be done through Form 7 entries,” CEO Kumar added.

Congress delegation seeks clarification

A delegation led by Congress media co-incharge Kishore Nath Shahdeo met Kumar earlier this week.

Also Read | Jharkhand Rajya Sabha poll results out: NDA-backed candidate wins after cross-voting, other seat goes to JMM

“We had submitted a memorandum that included a few issues including the one related to the Chatra assembly seat. We sought clarification transparently. We were informed that a major reason for the big jump was due to applications for a change of booth,” said Shahdeo.

The Jharkhand CEO has also sent a proposal to the poll panel for an extension in the period of notices and verifications as well publication of the revised electoral roll. “We are confident that the dates will be extended as a lot of work still needs to be done. All BLOs now have to go door to door to clear all the notices and verify documents,” said Kumar.