Election Commission Clarifies Notice Issued to Admiral Prakash

The Election Commission (EC) has clarified that a “system-driven procedure” was responsible for the notice issued to former Navy chief Admiral Arun Prakash, as part of Goa’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. This clarification comes after the notice prompted widespread discussion on social media, particularly among veterans and citizens questioning the necessity for such a decorated officer to “prove his identity” in person.

According to the EC, the notice stemmed from incomplete information in Admiral Prakash’s earlier enumeration form. The former naval chief, who is an 81-year-old recipient of the Vir Chakra award and a notable figure from the 1971 India-Pakistan War, faced a requirement to verify his identity due to missing details in his application.

Details of the Notice and Clarification

Electoral Registration Officer Dr Medora Ermomilla D’Costa explained that the Booth Level Officer (BLO) for the Cortalim constituency had collected Admiral Prakash’s enumeration form. However, it lacked essential particulars from prior revisions, including the elector’s name, electoral photo identity card number (EPIC), the name of a relative, and additional identifying information like the assembly constituency and serial number in the electoral roll.

The absence of these critical details prevented the BLO application from linking the submitted form with the existing electoral roll database. Consequently, the system categorized the form under the “unmapped” category, prompting an automatic hearing notice to verify the elector’s details and confirm eligibility.

D’Costa emphasized that this procedure is standard practice within the system-driven framework employed by the EC to ensure compliance and accuracy in electoral rolls.

Admiral Prakash’s Response

Admiral Prakash, who has resided in Goa since his retirement in 2006, took to social media to express his concerns about the logistical challenges faced by elderly citizens. He noted that he and his wife were asked to appear on two separate occasions at a location approximately 18 kilometers from their home.

In his post on X, he stated, “I neither need, nor have ever asked for any special privileges… but if the SIR forms are not evoking required info, they should be revised.” He further mentioned that the BLO had visited his residence three times and could have easily requested the missing documentation during those visits.

The incident highlights the potential hurdles that elderly voters may encounter in the electoral process, raising questions about the adequacy of current procedures for ensuring that all citizens can participate in elections without unnecessary complications.