BENGALURU: With half the month left for citizens to submit their filled-up enumeration forms, the rush at Voter Facilitation Centres (VFCs) is only rising. Citizens are queuing up to find their 2002 rolls details, seek assistance in filling up the forms or even get the forms filled.
This is because the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in most areas are providing little or no assistance. According to the citizens, they have very little information and lack time. “I have been staying in Karnataka ever since. But I am unable to fill the form. I asked my BLO to help, but she did not. Then I approached the VFC, which is also the ward office of my area. I had to wait for a long time for my turn,” said Gowramma, a senior citizen in Hegganahalli.
He said there is too much confusion and difficulty in finding the 2002 electoral details, said Siddaraiah, another senior citizen. Fearing errors leading to deletion, he also approached the VFC for assistance.
Many are also queuing up at VFC to find their old details in the rolls. “Even though we are told that our names will not be deleted. But I do not want a notice. I took a day’s leave from work to find my first polling booth of 2002 and my details in the electoral rolls, as I had shifted multiple houses in between. Finally, I found it after a long struggle,” said Benaka (name changed), a voter from Bengaluru rural.
The BBMP ward offices have prepared a database of the polling booths under their jurisdiction. Through this, they are also keeping a tab on the number of voters presently existing in their ward. The Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) ward officials are guiding citizens to visit their closest ward offices to find their details.
The MLAs and heads of various political parties have prepared a database of their voters. In some constituencies, they have created independent online applications of the details of their voters as the election commission’s app constantly suffers technical glitches. The Booth Level Agents (BLAs) are also using these independent apps to help electors.