The response to the enrolment drives undertaken by the Election Commission (EC) has been overwhelming, with almost 80 lakh new voters added since January 1 this year.
The number went up by around 25 lakh after the Lok Sabha elections. However, around 14 lakh first-time voters are still left out of the electoral rolls.
“The drives undertaken from October 2013 to January 2014 saw registration of 40 lakh new voters. Nearly 16 lakh registered themselves between January and April before the Lok Sabha election, and then about 25 lakh before the upcoming Assembly elections,” said Anil Valvi, deputy chief electoral officer.
He said the number of registrations had been the highest this year as awareness among voters was better.
According to statistics with the EC, there are more than 35 lakh first-time voters between 18 to 19 years, of which about 20 lakh have registered themselves.
“The enrolment drive ended on September 17. We are now in the process of collecting data, which is expected to be completed by Saturday. We will freeze the electoral rolls by the last day of filing nominations,” said an official from the state election branch.
After many people complaining that their names had been deleted from the electoral rolls during the Lok Sabha elections, the EC had sent out letters to voters from Mumbai, Thane and Pune to confirm their addresses.
{{/usCountry}}After many people complaining that their names had been deleted from the electoral rolls during the Lok Sabha elections, the EC had sent out letters to voters from Mumbai, Thane and Pune to confirm their addresses.
{{/usCountry}}However, a little more than 1 lakh people responded to the letter and got re-enrolled. According to Election Commission sources, this may once again result in complaints of ‘missing names’ during the Assembly elections.