Concerns Rise Over Voter List Discrepancies in Jharkhand

Ranchi, July 28: The Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee has expressed alarm over the increasing number of voters being removed from the voter list during the preparation of the ‘ASDD’ (Absent, Shifted, Dead, and Duplicate) list for the 2026 Special Initiative Review (SIR).

Led by state Congress president Keshav Mahto Kamlesh, a party delegation met with Chief Electoral Officer Ravi Kumar on Tuesday to present their concerns and submitted a memorandum. The Congress party has requested an extension of the deadline for the SIR. According to their memorandum, the number of voters included in the ASDD list had reached 40,04,817 by July 27.

They highlighted that the majority of these voters fall under the ‘missing’ category, which raises significant concerns. In assembly constituencies such as Ranchi, Hatia, Kanke, Dhanbad, Bokaro, and Jamshedpur West, the number of such voters ranges from 75,000 to 115,000. The Congress party argues that despite improvements in the state’s digitization efforts, the large number of voters categorized as absent raises several questions.

The party also noted that during the Sawan festival, the Babadhama fair places additional pressure on the general public and administrative systems in districts like Deoghar and Dumka, potentially impacting the revision process. Congress leaders have alleged that complaints have been received from various locations indicating that Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are not providing receipts after collecting forms from voters.

The party claims that the ASDD list continues to grow, and the unmapping list has yet to be published, creating confusion and unnecessary pressure among voters. They have demanded that, considering these circumstances, the timeline for issuing notices and conducting hearings should be extended alongside the enumeration phase, allowing all eligible voters ample opportunity to clarify their status.

According to Congress, CEO Ravi Kumar assured them that a proposal to grant an additional 15 days for the revision process would be sent to the Election Commission of India after August 5. The delegation included state general secretary Surya Kant Shukla, Lal Kishore Nath Shahdev, Lal Prem Prakash Nath Shahdev, Sunil Singh, and Rajesh Chandra Raju, among others.