Ghaziabad electoral list final, 2.9 million voters on rolls

The Ghaziabad parliamentary constituency has five segments of Loni, Muradnagar, Sahibabad, Ghaziabad and Dhaulana (part)

The electoral rolls for the Ghaziabad parliamentary constituency has been finalised and it has a total of 2,941,624 voters, Ghaziabad district officials said, adding that in 2019, the list had 2,726,132 voters, and it has now increased by 215,492 voters.

In 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the parliamentary constituency recorded a polling percentage of 55.78. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The Ghaziabad parliamentary constituency has five segments of Loni, Muradnagar, Sahibabad, Ghaziabad and Dhaulana (part). The five segments have a total of 1,621,343 men voters, 1,320,104 women voters and 177 transgender voters, according to the electoral rolls finalised on April 4.

District officials said Loni has 523,641 voters, Muradnagar 467,395, Sahibabad 1,053,661, Ghaziabad 476,337 and Dhaulana 424,010 voters in total.

“Our systematic voters’ education and electoral participation (SVEEP) activities will go on till April 24 and we have contacted an estimated 500,000 people so far, urging them to vote. We have reached out to resident bodies, school and college students, villagers and high-rise dwellers, among others. We are trying to increase the voting per cent by 5-10% this time and, any increase, say even 1-4%, will also be considered fruitful,” said Abhinav Gopal, chief development officer (CDO).

The CDO said Ghaziabad has received about ₹5 lakh from the Election Commission of India for carrying out SVEEP activities.

“The funds are limited. However, we are seeking the help of NGOs and traders to help decorate polling booths and attract voters. Outreach activities have been undertaken in rural segments. It is the urban voters who worry us, however. In Ghaziabad, about 80% voters are in urban segments and a majority of them rarely turn up to vote,” Gopal said.

In 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the parliamentary constituency recorded a polling percentage of 55.78. In 2014, the polling was 56.94% while it was 45.30% in 2009.

With increase in number of voters, the candidates from lesser known parties and independents said that they are trying best to reach out to as many voters as they can.

“I do not focus on winning or losing. The issues must reach as many people as possible. We distributed pamphlets to about 200-300 people in Ghaziabad. One of our major promises is the implementation of “right to recall”. This means that if an elected representative does not work satisfactorily, the public is given right to recall her and send another representative,” said Pooja Saxena, 31, who is contesting from Right to Recall Party.

The district goes to polls on April 26.