'Unsure About Voting In Assembly Election, Need Official Support,' Say Voters

Hajipur: The 70-year old Ramesh Mahto is whiling away his time in a hot and humid day at Bishunpur Basant Urf Suhai village in Hajipur block of Vaishali district, but unsure whether he will be able to cast his vote in the coming assembly election.

“I have not received an enumeration form so far and my name may be erased from the voter list if I do not get it on time,” remarked Mahto, who was earlier working as a truck driver to eke out a living.

Another voter in Vaishali district Sone Lal Choudhary alleged that he was not sure whether the SIR exercise would be completed on time.

Manjhis (Mahadalits) say they have received forms, and now they are trying to get mandatory documents. “My main challenge is how to fill out the enumeration form as I am illiterate, and so I am waiting for a trained person who can help me”, remarked Nanda Manjhi. She said that she along with other community members have deposited their enumeration forms with Aadhaar card numbers. "We will deposit requisite documents later," she added.

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Vijay Kumar Mishra, a native of Hilapur Madarpur panchayat in Vaishali district, heaped praise on SIR exercise by stating that it would erase names of fake voters including Bangladeshis and Rohingyas from the electoral rolls. He said that the Mukhiya visited his house and took details of family members for inclusion of their names in the electoral rolls.

“We will get our electors' Photo Identity Cards (EPICs) by post in 15 days,"he added. His neighbour Dileep Mishra is also all applause for the SIR exercise, remarking that it was the need of the hour.

Although people can be seen playing cards on the open verandahs at various places in the village, any discussion on it evokes sharp reactions from some people. Pintu Kumar, who was also playing cards in a group, alleged the SIR exercise is confusing people, particularly illiterate people who are virtually clueless how to arrange documents without 'active' support from the government officials. People want more assistance from government officials as mere distribution of forms will not work, he claimed. "Government officials too are puzzled due to sheer workload,” he claimed. “Many people are even scared of losing their citizenship if they do not arrange requisite documents,” remarked another person sitting next to him.