Voter data 'theft': NGO helmed by retired judges, bureaucrats seeks social audit of electoral database of Karnataka

According to the NGO, social audits are an extremely important citizen monitoring tool that can be used to involve voters in cross-checking their own information as well as that of bogus names and duplicates in their area

Amidst allegations of theft of voters’ data in Bengaluru, the Citizens’ Commission on Elections, an NGO, on Monday November 28, wrote to the Election Commission requesting to order and facilitate a statewide social audit of the electoral database of Karnataka.

The NGO, based in New Delhi, is chaired by former Supreme Court judge Justice (retd.) Madan Lokur. The members include Justice (retd.) Hariparanthaman, former Madras High Court judge, former IAS officers Sundar Burra and M.G. Devasahayam, and several academicians and journalists.

In a letter to the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners, Mr. Devasahayam, Chief Coordinator of the NGO, wrote, “Since there was significant delay in ECI intervening in the matter after media exposure, Bengaluru electoral rolls became a slugfest between political parties. We even witnessed the spectacle of Chief Minister, Karnataka ordering inquiries left, right and centre forcing the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) to call for order through a statement emphasising that electoral rolls are the responsibility of ECI and nobody can hijack this. All these have caused serious doubts as to the integrity of the electoral rolls of Karnataka. And what ECI has done so far is too little, too late. The situation needs to be repaired urgently if public confidence in the electoral rolls is to be restored.”

According to the letter, social audits are an extremely important citizen monitoring tool that can be used to involve voters in cross-checking their own information as well as that of bogus names and duplicates in their area. “It will also help and show that no voter is left behind. It must be noted that social audits are regularly and extensively used to cross verify vast social sector programmes, such as MGNREGA and NFSA,” Mr. Devasahayam added.

“We strongly believe that this is the best way to further verify the sanctity of the electoral rolls by involving all people in a practical mode and not just exclusive groups, like the NGO that was given the contract for doing the SVEEP exercise and misused the data they collected. This exercise would not only allow people to correct their rolls but also get educated in the process, and therefore be the best kind of ‘Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP)‘. It would allow voters to register their name in the electoral rolls, make correction if any of their existing particulars in electoral rolls, and deletion of name of shifted and deceased family members. (the purpose of SVEEP as stated by the ECI),” the letter stated.

According to the Citizens’ Commission on Elections, there is precedence in holding such a social audit of electoral rolls. In 2003-04, the ECI, at the insistence of civil society, ordered such an exercise in the State of Rajasthan. This had a salutary effect in the sense that over 15 lakh names were corrected during the exercise, according to the letter.