NEW DELHI: The Chief Electoral Office (CEO) in Delhi on Monday reported an 'unprecedented' surge in voter registration forms, with over 5 lakh submissions in the past 20 days.
It is equivalent to the total forms typically received in an entire year.
CEO officials attributed the spike to the Aam Aadmi Party's Mukhya Mantri Mahila Samman Yojna (MMMSY) which promises Rs 2,100 monthly assistance to registered women voters.
The scheme has garnered significant public attention ever since it was announced by the party recently.
The officials said that they expect the trend to continue as the Congress unveiled a similar scheme earlier in the day while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is also expected to come out with a Direct Bank Transfer (DBT) scheme.
Congress on Monday announced 'Pyari Didi Yojana', promising monthly financial assistance of Rs 2,500 to women if voted to power in Delhi.
The announcement was made by Karnataka's Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, who highlighted the success of similar initiatives in Karnataka.
The announcement of the 'Pyaari Didi Yojana' by Congress comes as a direct counter to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP's) Mukhya Mantri Mahila Samman Yojna (MMMSY).
While both AAP and Congress' schemes promise financial assistance for women, the latter has positioned its own initiative as a more robust and immediate solution.
Shivakumar emphasised that the scheme is designed to empower women financially, a vision that has already shown positive results in Karnataka.
"We are confident that the Congress will form the next government in Delhi, and as soon as we take office, the first Cabinet meeting will implement this scheme," he said.
Drawing parallels with the Karnataka model, Shivakumar shared that the Congress government there had brought significant financial relief to families, with savings of Rs 4,000 to Rs 5,000 per month through similar initiatives.
He expressed confidence that such reforms would bring about similar transformations in Delhi, benefiting the city's residents.
The 'Pyaari Didi Yojana' is set to be a cornerstone of Congress's women empowerment agenda, with Delhi Congress chief Devender Yadav promising more such initiatives in the near future.
Yadav assured the people of Delhi that the party’s approach would be grounded in action, drawing from its successful implementation of similar schemes in states like Karnataka, Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
"Under this scheme, Rs 2,500 will be credited directly to the accounts of Delhi's women every month, benefiting half of the city's population," reiterated Yadav.
The voter registration spree began on December 16 with the poll body receiving 5.1 lakh Form-6 applications since that date. Election officers have been directed to prioritize the scrutiny of all such forms submitted in the past one month.
"This trend of unprecedented increase of form-6 and that too after 20 days of last date of receiving claims and objections is unexpected and needs greater scrutiny," the Delhi's poll body stated.
“This volume, typically seen over a year, has been logged in just three weeks. The timing coincides with the announcement of DBT schemes. There is a possibility of forged documents being used to secure benefits," a senior official said.
"We are conducting 100 per cent field verification to identify eligible applicants. Stringent actions are being taken against those submitting fake documents for voter registration," he added.
Till now, the poll body has lodged eight FIRs against 24 people for submission of false documents to obtain voter ID cards.
