Pune: Hundreds of citizens who have migrated from their villages to cities want to retain their names in voter lists in both locations, creating hurdles for booth-level officers (BLOs) undertaking the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in rural Pune.Those involved in the exercise said a section of voters who have settled in cities were either reluctant to respond to calls or were seeking to continue with voter registration in their native villages as well as their present places of residence. The issue has emerged as the SIR exercise enters its final phase.“These people don’t respond to our calls or provide any details. As a result, we are stuck. Those who have responded to our calls have had the procedure clearly explained. Maintaining names in two electoral rolls is not permitted. Ultimately, they have to decide where they want to vote in the future,” DD Kothavale, a BLO said.Another BLO said teams had been working on holidays and visiting the homes of voters and villagers as part of the verification exercise. However, in several cases, they have shifted permanently to cities, making it difficult for officials to obtain their current address, supporting documents and signatures required during the verification process.“Since they are settled in cities, we often don’t have their details or documents. We also need their signatures on the forms. These procedures are mandatory and the issue has hampered our work,” said the BLO.Deputy election officer Minal Kalaskar told TOI that a voter cannot legally have names in two electoral rolls. “Having names in two different voter lists is a crime. We have not registered a complaint yet, but it is not allowed. How can people cast their votes in two different constituencies? If they don’t respond to our calls, we will delete their names from the gram panchayat list. They can raise an objection after Aug 8 as per the procedure,” Kalaskar said.She added that voters who want to shift their registration would have an opportunity to enrol at the appropriate location during the hearing process after publication of the draft electoral roll on Aug 17.BLOs said the problem had persisted for years because there were limited mechanisms to identify people maintaining registrations in multiple locations.“During the mapping exercise, such names have cropped up in our system. Once a person’s name is mapped either in the city or the village, it will appear in that list. If the individual wants to change the location, the concerned BLO will register the person in the new location,” another BLO said.Some villagers said their neighbours migrate for employment but maintain strong links with their native villages even after settling elsewhere.Kalaskar said the response in rural areas had otherwise been positive and encouraging. “Locals are cooperative and provide accurate details to our BLOs. Even when people request that their names be maintained in the village list, our BLOs explain the legal procedure and the implications clearly,” she said.“We are taking help from villagers and the sarpanch to get in touch with these individuals. Once their names are deleted, they will have to follow more procedures in the next phase of the drive. Right now, the process is smooth at the village level,” a senior poll official said.Voters who do not respond during the current verification process can raise objections or seek inclusion through the prescribed procedure after the draft electoral roll is published.One Elector, One EntryElection officials cautioned that a false declaration while seeking inclusion, correction or deletion of a name in the electoral roll is punishable under Section 31 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950. Violators can face imprisonment of up to one year, a fine, or both.Electoral rolls remain under continuous updation even after publication of the final roll, allowing eligible citizens to seek inclusion or corrections up to the last date for filing nominations for an election.Eligible voters seeking fresh registration, transfer of enrolment to another constituency or inclusion of names missing from the electoral rolls will be able to apply only after the draft electoral rolls are published on Aug 17 when the claims and objections window opens under Special Intensive Revision.
