Census throws light on voter list anomalies

The government's aggressive voter registration campaign has failed to yield fruitful results. Sanjeev K Ahuja reports.

The government's aggressive voter registration campaign has failed to yield fruitful results.

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According to Census 2011 figures, of a total population of 15.14 lakh, the city has only 7.9 lakh voters (52.18%).

The Election Commission of India norms state that at least 60% of a city's population must be registered voters. Going by that rule, there should be around 9 lakh voters in Gurgaon.

Local resident welfare associations (RWAs), meanwhile, claim that lakhs would be denied the right to exercise their franchise. “Around 1.1 lakh people have been left out. We have been raising the issue of faulty voter registration procedure but neither the district administration nor the Haryana Election Commission has paid heed to it,” said Col (retd) S Oberoi, a member of Gurgaon Citizens' Council.

Similarly, the total number of voters as per the final voter's list of the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon is 4.28 lakh as against a population of 11.53 lakh living within municipal limits.

Only 37.12% of the total population is registered as a voter, making a deficit of 2.5 lakh as per the 60% norm.