Maharashtra’s voter list revision will get a statewide push this weekend, with special camps planned at 1,00,300 polling centres to help voters correct registration errors, update addresses and add eligible names before the final electoral roll is published on 16 November.
The facilities are being provided as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls. Maharashtra Chief Electoral Officer S. Chockalingam said voters who have received notices because of errors in their registration will be able to submit responses and supporting information at polling centres on Saturday and Sunday. Mumbai will have camps at 10,000 polling centres, according to the report by Loksatta – Mumbai.
The revision has identified 1.22 crore voters whose records showed mismatches or logical discrepancies, and notices were issued to them. Voters will not need to visit the electoral registration officer for every correction. The Election Commission has allowed them to send the notice and their response through WhatsApp, providing an additional channel for completing the process.
The exercise will also focus on voters whose names appeared in the previous electoral roll but were not included in the draft roll. Of the 1.51 crore such voters, only 3.90 lakh had submitted fresh applications during the past month, including applications from new voters. The low response has prompted the state to organise the large-scale weekend camps.
Voters will be able to check whether their names appear in the electoral roll and submit applications to correct details such as their address. The camps are intended to bring these services closer to residents rather than requiring every applicant to approach an election office separately.
Colleges will be involved in enrolling citizens who have completed 18 years of age. The state has directed district collectors to organise voter registration camps in junior and senior colleges and submit details of how many students are registered as voters through the exercise. The measure places the responsibility for reaching first-time voters partly on local election administration and educational institutions.
The deadline for filing claims and objections in the ongoing revision has been extended to 12 October. Notices, claims and objections are to be disposed of by 10 November, after which the final electoral roll is scheduled to be released on 16 November.
The special camps come at a critical stage in the revision because the figures in the report indicate a substantial gap between the number of voters requiring follow-up and the number of fresh applications received. The weekend arrangement, WhatsApp submissions and college-based enrolment are the administration’s stated measures to improve participation before the remaining deadlines expire.
The next formal milestones are the 12 October deadline for claims and objections, the 10 November deadline for resolving notices and representations, and publication of Maharashtra’s final voter list on 16 November.
