Daltonganj: As many as 750 eligible electors in three villages of Latehar district refused to sign enumeration forms during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, despite repeated persuasion by officials.The refusals were reported from one polling booth each in Kaima, Ronhe and Dadeya villages under Latehar, Bariyatu and Chandwa blocks, respectively.Deputy election officer Mary Markey said 574 of Kaima’s 1,252 electors refused to sign the forms. In Ronhe, 114 of 712 electors declined, while 62 of Dadeya’s 851 voters did the same.“Following the directive of district election officer and deputy commissioner Sandip Kumar, BLOs, assistant electoral registration officers (EROs) and EROs made repeated efforts to persuade them, but in vain,” Markey said.The administration also conducted public announcements and issued notices, while Kumar personally appealed to the residents to complete the process. However, they remained firm in their decision, she added.Markey attributed the refusals to four factors: the firm belief of residents in the protections granted under the Fifth Schedule, intervention by the respective gram sabhas, unwillingness to accept the administration’s reasoning and inadequate awareness about the significance of SIR.“The Fifth Schedule prohibits outside administration,” said Ajay Oraon, a tribal resident. Sources said some electors also believed that inclusion in the electoral rolls would bring them no tangible benefit.Rejecting suggestions that the administration’s groundwork was inadequate, Markey said sustained awareness campaigns had been conducted and BLOs remained in regular contact with residents.Administrative sources said official teams visited the villages repeatedly, but residents largely avoided interacting with them.
