In order to boost the enrolment of new and first-time voters in the district’s voters list, Ghaziabad administration is set to conduct a five-month long drive in the entire district. The drive is set to start from the first week of June and will continue till the end of October. It is part of a special initiative by the Election Commission of India for residents aged between 18 and 19 years.
The entire process will include various activities such as appointment of block level officers (BLOs), clearance of pending applications, distribution of new forms, door-to-door survey and collection of forms. The new Form 6 and Form 7 (both for registration of electors) will be distributed from June 20 till June 24.
The door to door survey and collection of the newly filled forms will continue for one month from July 1 to July 31. The drive will also include re-verification for removal of non-existent or deceased voters. Special campaign dates for booth-level agents of political parties for raising objections and claims will be from July 9 till July 23.
According to the set curriculum, objections and claims received from various quarters will be resolved by August 31 while the following months will have various activities such as updating the new list on the Electoral Roll Management System (ERMS) of the Chief Electoral Officer of the district and preparing the draft list. The draft list of the updated electoral roles will then be published by the second half of October and will be open for further claims and objections till the end of the month.
Speaking to City Spidey, Rajesh Yadav, ADM who is also the deputy election officer, said that the drive was being specially conducted for first-time voters but will also be effective for claims and objections of others. “We will also verify the existing voters’ list,” Yadav further added.
Meanwhile, Ajay Singhal, a resident of ATS Advantage, a high-rise in Indirapuram, whose son's name could not be included in the voter's list during the recent assembly elections, told City Spidey that the BLOs did not do their job well and it was a major problem in the entire process. “Although hundreds of residents of my society submitted their forms, their names were not included. My son is one of them. Moreover, the BLOs did not issue receipts against the forms submitted,” added Singhal.
Singhal’s son Atin Singhal, who is 19 years old, said that despite filling forms both online and on paper, his name was not included in the voters list. He said that the new initiative comes as great news for him and his friends but maintained that the procedure should be fool proof and should be carried out properly. “On submitting a form, I must at least know its status or if it is lacking any information,” he added.
