HYDERABAD: Notwithstanding the poll authorities’ push to include ‘deleted voters’ in the final electoral rolls to be published on November 9, there was a bleak response to the special camps set up by the Election Commission of India on October 15 and 16.
On average, each polling booth across Telangana received less than one Form‑6. With 36,353 polling stations in the State, the total number of Form‑6 applications received after the ‘claims and objections’ period, which began on October 8, stood at 36,772.
This figure contrasts sharply with the 3,18,042 applications received during the SIR pre‑draft period (June 15 to August 16) and 1,70,374 during the claims and objections period (August 17 to October 7). The total number of forms received since the beginning of the year is 10,45,519.
Officials on field visits placed the onus squarely on voters, saying the deleted voters failed to turn up at the camps. “Nobody has turned up, hence we can say these are real cases of shifted, dead and double voters. If they were serious, they should have visited the camps. Nevertheless, these camps were meant to encourage people; they may apply Form‑6 till the final rolls are made and the notice phase is completed,” a senior official told Deccan Chronicle.
Before the SIR exercise, the total voters stood at 3,38,26,448 (100%). Following the enumeration phase, 73,39,234 (21.7%) names were cleared and listed under ASDD (Absent, Shifted, Dead and Duplicate). Of these, 9,22,230 were declared dead, 11,25,546 absent/untraceable, 45,18,961 permanently shifted, 6,70,203 already enrolled at other locations, and 1,02,294 under other categories.
It is believed that the requirement of Form‑6 with a declaration as ‘new voter’ — a contentious issue — discouraged many of those who lost their vote. Hyderabad District Congress Committee president Syed Khalid Saifullah questioned why the services of BLAs of political parties were utilised during the special camps. He said the failure of deleted voters to turn up reflected a loss of faith in the electoral process. “Following vote chori by the ruling party, the citizenry has lost all faith. The form has become tough to fill. It is shameful that officials are not even able to receive a single voter at a special camp. It is high time the Election Commission simplified the process and restored faith among citizens,” Saifullah said.
Chief Electoral Officer C. Sudarshan Reddy earlier said those whose votes were deleted may apply even after final publication of the rolls on November 9. “Once the notice phase and disposal of claims and objections are completed on November 5, those who missed may apply. Moreover, they need not worry about submitting the declaration then, as the process will continue,” he said.
Total voters before SIR exercise 3,38,26,448 (100%)
ASDD category 73,39,234 (21.70%)
Break‑up of ASDD:
· Dead: 9,22,230
· Absent / Untraceable: 11,25,546
· Permanently shifted: 45,18,961
· Enrolled elsewhere: 6,70,203
· Others: 1,02,294
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
