Gandhinagar, Oct 1 (IANS) Gujarat will hold a statewide special drive to enrol citizens left out of the electoral roll and newly eligible young voters, with special camps to be organised at all polling stations on four Sundays in October and November, the Chief Electoral Officer’s office said Thursday.
The special drive will be conducted under the Continuous Updation process in accordance with instructions issued by the Election Commission of India (ECI) for states where the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise has been completed.
Special camps will be held on October 11, 18 and 25 and November 1, with designated officers and Booth Level Officers (BLOs) remaining available at polling stations from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to receive claims and objections in the prescribed forms.
The initiative will particularly give eligible first-time voters aged 18-19 years, as well as citizens whose names were not included in the electoral roll during the previous exercise, an opportunity to seek enrolment.
Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer Sandeep Sagale has issued detailed instructions to all District Election Officers and Collectors to arrange the campaign across the state.
The CEO’s office said Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) and Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs) would conduct Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) activities at colleges and other educational institutions as part of the campaign.
Awareness would also be created through banners at various locations and local newspapers to inform eligible citizens about the enrolment process and the special campaign days.
The office clarified that the present period is classified as Non-SIR and, under the Registration of Electors Rules, 1960, eligible persons seeking inclusion in the electoral roll must submit only Form 6.
Supervisors will make regular visits to polling stations during the four special campaign days to monitor arrangements and ensure applications are received.
District Election Officers, EROs and AEROs will also conduct random field inspections as part of the supervision and monitoring process.
The special drive aims to ensure that eligible citizens, particularly those who have completed 18 years of age, have an opportunity to register their names in the electoral roll and that the roll remains updated and inclusive.
–IANS
mys/dan
