Bengaluru’s voter list could cross 59 lakh after around two lakh eligible applicants are added following the ongoing special revision exercise, Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) chief commissioner and district election officer Maheshwar Rao said on Thursday.
A total of 2.19 lakh applications have been submitted to add names to the electoral roll in Bengaluru Urban district. The applications, filed under different forms including Forms 6, 7 and 8, are being processed and verified before the final additions are made.
The draft electoral roll currently contains 56,99,660 voters. Officials expect the number to rise to approximately 59 lakh after the applications are examined and eligible applicants are included.
Rao said the Election Commission would conduct a special campaign to help eligible voters whose names may have been omitted from the roll. “There is no need for eligible voters to panic if their names have been left out of the electoral roll. The Election Commission will undertake a special campaign to include eligible voters,” he said.
Under the campaign, eligible residents who want to add their names to the electoral roll can submit applications through Form 6, in line with directions from the Election Commission of India. Booth-level officers have also been instructed to visit homes directly for verification where required.
The revision exercise includes scrutiny of discrepancies linked to the 2002 electoral roll. Officials said 24,06,044 people had required notices and hearings because their names could not be traced in the 2002 roll or because of other discrepancies. Most of the hearings have already been completed, while house-to-house verification is being carried out in accordance with the Election Commission’s instructions.
Officials also reported progress on applications submitted under Form 7, which is used for claims and objections relating to entries on the electoral roll. Of the 5,549 Form 7 applications received in Bengaluru Urban district, 2,468 had been approved, representing 44% of the total.
Rao said booth-level agents could submit a maximum of 10 applications under Form 7. Applications submitted beyond that limit would be examined and dealt with according to the rules. In Malleshwaram, 1,103 applications were rejected, while mass applications submitted in other areas were also being scrutinised.
Constituency-wise information on claims and objections has been published on the official websites of the Election Commission and the GBA. The disclosures include details under Forms 9, 10, 11, 11A and 11B, allowing residents to check the status of applications and objections.
Under the announced schedule, claims and objections will be disposed of by 22 October, and the final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on 27 October.
