Bhubaneswar: In total, 33,515 people submitted Form-6 applications for inclusion of their names in the electoral rolls during a three-day special enrolment drive in Odisha, an official said Saturday.
The drive was conducted from October 7 to 9 on the EC’s directions to facilitate the enrolment of eligible voters left out during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) and young people who attained the age of 18 on October 1.
The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) organised 26,446 special camps across the state to facilitate the submission of Form-6 applications, the official said.
Form 6 is the application prescribed by the Election Commission (EC) for including a person’s name in the electoral rolls.
The initiative was taken after opposition parties alleged that names of more than 27.50 lakh eligible voters were deleted from the electoral rolls during the SIR, the final list of which was published September 21.
The campaign aimed to facilitate the enrolment of first-time voters and eligible electors whose names were missing from the electoral rolls under the SIR exercise, an official statement said.
Of the total applications received, 1,448 were from eligible voters whose names were not on the electoral rolls, while 32,067 were from new and young voters.
The CEO also announced that a door-to-door awareness drive by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) would continue until the end of October.
“During this period, BLOs will visit houses to raise awareness among eligible citizens regarding voter registration, name inclusion, and necessary corrections, while also providing the required guidance,” the official said.
“In particular, necessary assistance will be provided to eligible citizens whose names were not included in the electoral rolls during the Special Summary Revision (SSR) and to young people who have newly become eligible to vote, enabling them to apply using Form-6,” he said.
PTI