Chandigarh- Punjab Congress president and Ludhiana MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Tuesday wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah raising the issue of first-time voters from Punjab who were turned away while seeking enrolment during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Warring said the young men and women from various Assembly constituencies across Punjab, who had turned 18 and sought registration as voters through Form 6, were instead asked to establish the electoral-roll status of their parents or grandparents during the last intensive revision held more than two decades ago.
In his letter, Warring urged Shah to intervene in his capacity as Union Home Minister and the authority responsible for matters under the Citizenship Act, 1955. He also requested that the Ministry of Home Affairs specify, once and for all, the documents that would be accepted as proof of Indian citizenship by all authorities, including the Election Commission.
Warring argued that Article 326 of the Constitution lays down citizenship, attainment of 18 years of age and ordinary residence as the relevant conditions for voter eligibility.
The Punjab Congress chief maintained that the right to electoral registration is a continuing right and said the Representation of the People Act, 1950, provides for inclusion of eligible persons in electoral rolls through the continuous updation process.
He further pointed out that the law provides four qualifying dates in a year for voter registration, arguing that the ongoing SIR should not result in eligible first-time voters being kept outside the electoral roll.
Warring said the Election Commission had subsequently stated that the additional declaration would not be required after completion of the revision.
However, he contended that this did not address the position of those whose claims had already been turned away before the September 12 deadline for filing claims and objections in Punjab.
“The young people turned away during it stand outside the roll to be finalised next month, and that roll is the one Punjab takes into 2027, ” he said.
Seeking Shah’s intervention, Warring said the issue fundamentally concerned citizenship, which falls within the domain of the Union Home Ministry. He referred to the Citizenship Act, 1955, and argued that determination of citizenship is a matter for the Central Government rather than the Election Commission.
He also referred to the Ministry of External Affairs’ position that an Indian passport is a travel document and does not by itself constitute proof of citizenship. Warring questioned what documentation would conclusively establish citizenship if even a passport did not do so.
Warring also referred to Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s previous service in the Union Home Ministry, saying a clear clarification from the Home Ministry on the legal requirements for establishing citizenship would carry weight.
The Punjab Congress president sought issuance of citizenship certificates to eligible applicants who produce documents such as birth certificates or school records, or alternatively a notification specifying documents accepted as proof of citizenship by all authorities and acceptance of the Form 6 applications under continuous updation without requiring the grandparent declaration.