The Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer’s (CEO) office has announced a series of special measures to "ensure" that all eligible voters are included in the electoral roll while preventing the inclusion of ineligible persons.
The measures are being implemented by voter registration officers across the state in line with directions issued by the Election Commission of India, the CEO’s office said on Thursday.
Voter registration camps are being organised at colleges and universities from October 5 to 9 to facilitate enrolment of young voters. Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are assisting students in filling applications and addressing queries related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the CEO’s office said in a statement.
A special house-to-house campaign is also being conducted to identify eligible voters whose names are not included in the draft electoral roll. BLOs are collecting Form 6 from such new voters after verifying their eligibility.
For eligible citizens who are not available at home during the verification visits, special voter registration camps will be held at all polling stations on October 10 and 11, the statement said.
Voters who have changed their usual place of residence and whose names have been included in the list of absent or migrated persons during BLO visits can also apply for enrolment, it said.
The list of such voters has been made available on the official website of the CEO, Maharashtra.
Applications for inclusion can be submitted offline during the claims and objections period, which ends on October 12, to the Electoral Registration Officer, Assistant Electoral Registration Officer, BLOs or designated polling stations, it said.
Applications can also be submitted online through the Election Commission’s voter services portal or the ECINET mobile application.
“The concerned voter registration officer will make a proper decision regarding the inclusion of all eligible residents who submit an application with the necessary documents in the state’s Assembly constituency voter list,” the CEO’s office said.
The measures come amid a massive protest by the Opposition demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation over their allegations of irregularities in the SIR of the electoral rolls.
(With inputs from PTI)