Ex-Babri litigant Iqbal Ansari backs voter verification in Ayodhya

Former Babri Masjid litigant Iqbal Ansari has backed the SIR voter-verification exercise in Ayodhya. He praised the initiative for ensuring transparency and strengthening democracy by eliminating duplicate votes, calling it a 'good step'.

Iqbal Ansari Praises Voter Verification

A former litigant in the Babri Masjid case, Iqbal Ansari, has filed his SIR (Special Intensive Revision) form in Ayodhya, highlighting growing awareness among residents about the ongoing voter-verification exercise. Speaking to ANI, Ansari said that the people of Ayodhya are vigilant and cooperating with the administration's efforts.

He carefully filled and submitted his SIR form and praised both the government and the Election Commission for initiating the process to ensure transparency in the electoral rolls. He said the SIR initiative is vital because every citizen's vote matters, and eliminating duplicate or multiple votes will strengthen democracy. "Earlier, people had two or four votes in different areas, but now one person will have only one vote. This is a good step," he added.

Critique of Opposition's Stance

Speaking about the opposition's stance on SIR, Ansari said, "My family has lived here for 100 years, and we have never faced any issue. The parties should understand that the law is already in place, and people should cast only one vote. People casting two or four votes is wrong. What the government has done is good."

Official Verification Efforts Underway

Meanwhile, officials in Ayodhya have intensified SIR verification work, carrying it out round the clock. According to PRO and Sadar SDM, Ram Prasad, the Ayodhya assembly constituency has around 400 booths and 386,205 voters, out of which details of nearly 3.8 lakh voters have already been verified. About 28% of voters fall under the ASD category, and their forms are being closely scrutinised. Over 400 BLOs, 40 supervisors and 5 JE teams are deployed to complete the task swiftly. Mapping work is also underway and is expected to be 95% complete by December 11.

Challenges in the Verification Process

BLO Shahnaz said the initiative to remove default voters is commendable, though challenges remain. Many people are not voluntarily coming forward to correct their details, assuming their names will be deleted automatically by the last date. She added that outdated voter lists from 2003 and mapping discrepancies have also slowed the process, but verification is progressing well.

Another BLO, Shruthi, and voter Virendra Kumar Pathak also appreciated the system, expressing confidence that the SIR process will make electoral rolls more accurate and transparent.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)