76 lakh youth out of voters’ list; total touches 8.94 crores in Maharashtra

Of the estimated population of 43.07 lakh, 17.76 lakh youngsters in the 18-19 age group have registered themselves as voters, while 1.7 crore people in the 20-29 age group have got themselves registered, against the projected population of 2.21 crore.

More than 76 lakh youngsters in the age group of 18 to 30 are out of the voters’ list, according to the latest electoral roll published by the Election Commission on August 31.

In the age group of 30-39, registered voters are 2.06 crore against the population of 1.93 crore, while registered voters in the 40-49 age group are 1.94 crore, against the projected population of 1.57 crore. (HT FILE)

The number of voters after the recent revision has reached 8.94 crore against the projected state population of 12.43 crore in 2019.

Of the estimated population of 43.07 lakh, 17.76 lakh youngsters in the 18-19 age group have registered themselves as voters, while 1.7 crore people in the 20-29 age group have got themselves registered, against the projected population of 2.21 crore. Also, there are about 1 crore ineligible names in the rolls of voters aged above 30 owing to migration and deaths.

In the age group of 30-39, registered voters are 2.06 crore against the population of 1.93 crore, while registered voters in the 40-49 age group are 1.94 crore, against the projected population of 1.57 crore. The highest number of shifted/dead voters is in the age group of 50-59 and 80 years as their percentage in the list is 126% and 172% of their projected population.

According to officials from the election commission, deletion of names of the shifted and dead voters is not given priority to avoid uproar, in case names go missing during elections. “This was witnessed in the Lok Sabha elections in 2014, after a massive drive was taken to delete ineligible names. Some celebrities did not find their names on the list and it resulted in a huge controversy. Secondly, the deletion of the names requires a tedious legal process to be followed, unlike the addition of a name. It needs a physical verification by booth-level officer and takes time,” said an officer.

Inflated electoral rolls act as a hindrance in giving the actual voting percentage. “With duplicate and dead voters on the rolls, the turnout percentage is less than the actual. The EC should seriously undertake a drive to delete duplicate names to avoid this.

“District-level officials don’t pass on information to respective officials in case of shifted voters and as a result, the names from the old address don’t get deleted. One of the reasons for this haphazard registration is absence of full-time employees in the commission,” said Sharad Kumar, state coordinator, Association for Democratic Reforms.

Baldev Singh, chief electoral officer, Maharashtra, said, “We undertake regular drives for deletion and addition by targeting age groups that need specific attention. Deleting names is a lengthy process, but our officers do it by visiting the places personally.”