The Election Commission will soon start receiving data of the registration of deaths electronically from states and UTs, which would strengthen the process of updating the electoral rolls, sources said.
Acting as per the 2023 amendment of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, which enabled the use of the registration data for preparation of voters list, the EC has started the process of connecting its systems with the Registrar General of India’s data. Most states are a part of the portal.
“The Commission will now obtain death registration data electronically from the Registrar General of India in line with Rule 9 of the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960 and Section 3(5)(b) of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 (as amended in 2023). This will ensure that the Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) receive timely information about registered deaths. This will also enable Booth Level Officers (BLOs) to re-verify the information through field visits, without waiting for a formal request under Form 7,” an EC statement said on Thursday.
According to sources, the data would act as another source of information, which would mean that the process could start without the deceased elector’s family filling the Form 7. After receiving the data electronically, the BLOs would be able to visit the family of a deceased elector and have the Form 7 filled. Deletions would only be done based on the Form 7, which is the EC’s form for deletion of an elector from the rolls, they said.
In a statement on March 20, on the occasion of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar completing one month in office, the EC had said: “Regular update of the voter list shall be strengthened in close coordination with the birth and death registration authorities.”
