Ground report | Karnataka SIR ordeal: Overworked Anganwadi teachers, anxious voters
The SIR process has also become a centre of political debate alongside being an administrative exercise. Various political parties and organisations have raised questions about the functioning of the Election Commission
“I'm so fed up with SIR that I feel like I've developed a mental illness. Just the other day, I was admitted to hospital with low blood pressure,” says an Anganwadi teacher in Karnataka who has been assigned as a Booth Level Officer (BLO) for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
From house-to-house visits and voter mapping to collecting documents and issuing notices, the additional workload has left her exhausted.
“I earn Rs 12,200 from Anganwadi. For that, I have to struggle this much. I have a minor disability and cannot go elsewhere for work,” she told The Federal Karnataka.
‘People don’t want Anganwadi jobs now’
Anganwadi teachers, already responsible for childcare, nutrition, pre-primary education and implementing government schemes, say the SIR assignment has stretched them further. The work involves visiting voters, verifying details, collecting documents and following up on cases where records do not match.
Also read: SIR Form-7 row: Transparency under scanner amid community targeting allegations
“There was a time when people would compete for Anganwadi jobs. Now, with the low remuneration, additional workload and pressure from officials, people don't even want these jobs,” teachers said.
Voters are also feeling the pressure. In Karnataka, more than 43 lakh people have reportedly received SIR notices because their names could not be mapped with earlier electoral records or because of discrepancies in the information.
Officials maintain that the process is straightforward. Assistant Electoral Registration Officer (AERO) Dr. Raghav C said around 40 people were turning up daily with documents and that verification could be completed in two minutes if all the required papers were available.
Elderly woman urges EC to have doorstep verification
On the ground, however, voters describe a different experience. Basavanagudi resident Saraswati, an elderly woman, received a notice and travelled to the office with her documents.
“I am old and cannot walk. The BLO could have come home to verify the documents. I have nevertheless brought everything asked for. It would be good if the process is completed quickly,” she said.
Also read: SIR explained: From voter deletions to Form 6, what has changed?
Her experience has revived demands for doorstep verification for senior citizens, persons with disabilities and those unable to travel.
Another concern is the documentation required from voters born after 2002. In some cases, they are being asked to produce documents relating not only to themselves and their parents but also to an earlier generation. Differences in names between voter IDs and Aadhaar cards, spelling variations and changes of address have added to the difficulties, particularly in rural areas.
The SIR is intended to identify deceased voters, duplicate registrations and ineligible names and clean up the electoral rolls. But voters and activists argue that the exercise is creating confusion when long-standing voters are asked to establish their eligibility through old records.
Nikhil, a lawyer from Koyira village in Devanahalli taluk, said many people who have been voting for years were being asked for documents without adequate awareness about the process.
Political allegations and counter-allegations over SIR
The SIR process has become a centre of political debate alongside being an administrative exercise. Various political parties and organisations have raised questions about the functioning of the Election Commission.
Also read: INDIA bloc meet: Kharge seeks SIR rollback, return to ballot papers, CEC’s removal
Social activist Prabha Belavangala has alleged that despite differences within the Election Commission (EC) over the SIR process, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar has acted unilaterally. She has also demanded that Gyanesh be removed and that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, whom she holds politically responsible for the process, resign.
For Anganwadi workers and voters, however, the immediate concern is less political than practical: a verification exercise meant to clean up electoral rolls has become another layer of paperwork, travel and pressure for people already struggling with limited resources.
(This article was originally published in The Federal Karnataka)
