More than 19,000 ‘possible duplicate electors’
Kohima, June 29 (EMN): In a run up to the forthcoming assembly elections in 2018, the State Election department today informed that a ‘special drive’ to purify electoral roll will be conducted across the state from July 1 to July 31.
Addressing a press conference at his office chamber, the officiating Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), N Moa Aier, said while the ‘special drive’ will focus on updation for enrolment of eligible-but-left-out voters and first time electors in the age group of 18-21 years, it would also provide the opportunity for deletion, inclusion as well as rectification of details for existing voters. The CEO said the department is trying its best to clean the State’s electoral roll as that constitutes the basic aspect of the ‘clean election’ concept. However, he pointed out that the biggest challenge is multiple entries of a person with different photos in the Electoral Photo Identity Cards (EPIC) or slightly varying initials or spelling in the names. Towards this, he stated that out of a total 11,38,215 electorates in the State’s current electoral roll, the department has detected 19,727 “possible duplicate electors” with Mon district in the lead, followed by Wokha and Zunheboto while Peren district recorded the lowest with 246 doubtful entries.
Aier said the department was currently using two different softwares to detect ‘duplicate’ or multiple entries by drawing out identical photographs and details. He informed that a new software was being developed which can detect such entries more accurately through both photographs and details, and once that is in place, he was of the view that the number of ‘duplicate electors’ are likely to go up. But he maintained that the best solution will be when the concerned citizen or voter him/herself declares that there is double or triple entry in his/her name and ask for deletion of the multiple entries.
After the special drive, the official said, the list of multiple entries will be submitted to the district EROs, who will then forward the same to the Booth Level Officers (BLOs) for deletion. For removal of multiple entries in the electoral roll, Aier informed that the ERO, following due procedure, can take suo-moto action by issuing 7 days notice.
The officiating CEO also highlighted that activities which would be included during the special drive are: submission and receiving of forms from applicants giving priority to left out eligible voters of 18-21 years age group; door to door visit of BLOs; CEO to provide State and district contact centre numbers to extend citizen service; special campaigns to be organised on July 8 and July 22 where camps will be held at each polling station and final electoral roll 2017 along with supplement will be brought out and left out eligible persons can obtain forms (Form 6) from respective BLOs, fill them and submit on the spot; special camps to be conducted in all government and private educational institutions on at least two different days; Removal of names of dead electors (Form 7); comprehensive publicity campaign to motivate electors to get their names registered; meeting with political parties and appointment of Booth Level Agents (BLAs) for all polling stations to assist BLOs during the special drive.
Meanwhile, deputy CEO Vekho Vero, who is in charge of the State Systematic Voters' Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP), while highlighting the measures undertaken by the SVEEP cell, said the number of registered persons with disabilities (PwDs) in the electoral roll is 1687 as against 29000 recorded in the 2011 census. He informed that a separate database is being created for PwDs so that they would be given special facilitation on the day of poll during future conduct of elections.
It was also learnt that the number of registered youth in 18-19 years in the electoral roll compared to corresponding projected population of the State is only 16.43%. The question remains on where the remaining 83.57% are.
In the case of non resident Indians (NRI), the CEO expressed dismay that despite many Nagas living abroad, there has been nil NRI registration in the electoral roll. He stated that it is illegal to register names of NRIs as general electors in their native polling stations. “NRIs are to be registered in E/Roll of their native polling stations in India through applications in Form 6A,” he said, adding that the form can be filled online or through their relatives.
The department heads also expressed appreciation to the newspaper houses in Nagaland for taking a pledge not to publish any item from village councils declaring their support for one candidate, and further appealed to them to strive to disseminate awareness and information on clean elections to the masses, particularly those at the grassroots levels.
