A seminar on improving the voter list took place in Ahmedabad. It was led by the District Election Officer and Collector, Mr. Sujit Kumar. This event gathered members of the legislative assembly from five districts. These districts included Ahmedabad, Surendranagar, Kheda, Anand, and Mahisagar. The seminar was held at the Atal Kalam Auditorium of Gujarat University. The discussions focused on issues related to the voter list. The aim was to enhance the outreach and experience of the elected representatives in their constituencies.
Mr. Yogesh Thakkar, the Additional District Election Officer, welcomed everyone. He explained that the seminar was planned based on recommendations from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The seminar was essential for the representatives of five districts in the Ahmedabad zone. Key topics included the roles of Booth Level Officers (BLO) and Booth Level Agents (BLA). They also discussed the importance of having up to 1,200 voters in a polling station.
Mr. D.B. Tank, a master trainer for elections, stressed the importance of peaceful voting. He noted that a flawless voter list is crucial for a successful election. The role of the BLO is vital for ensuring that elections are free, fair, and impartial. He provided detailed information on the responsibilities of BLOs. They are tasked with maintaining the accuracy of the voter list. According to the Election Commission’s guidelines, BLOs will receive training in groups of 50. This training will prepare them for their responsibilities.
BLOs will visit households to verify voter details. It is important that polling stations are no more than 2 kilometers away from voters’ residences. Additionally, no political party office should be within 200 meters of a polling station.
The seminar also covered how to register and update names in the voter list. Various forms are available for different purposes. For first-time registrations, Form 6 is used. Form 6A is for Indians living abroad. Form 6B links Aadhaar numbers to voter registration. Form 7 is for removing names due to death or other reasons. Form 8 is for making corrections to existing voter details.
This seminar is part of a larger initiative to improve voter registration in Gujarat. The final voter list was published on October 10, 2022, ahead of the state assembly elections. According to this list, there are approximately 49 million registered voters in Gujarat. This includes around 1,417 transgender voters. The list shows that there are 25,336,610 male voters and 23,751,738 female voters. A total of 1,162,528 new voters have registered.
The Election Commission has made it easier for young people to register. During a special voter registration program from August 12 to September 11, 2022, extensive awareness campaigns were conducted. These efforts aimed to encourage more citizens to register to vote. The final voter list shows that more than 461,000 young voters aged 18 to 19 registered. Among them, over 268,000 are young males and over 193,000 are young females.
In the age group of 20 to 29, over 403,000 new voters registered, with more females than males. Additionally, more than 400,000 voters with disabilities have registered. To assist them, the Election Commission has introduced a special app called PwD. This app helps disabled voters access special facilities on election day.
The Election Commission has also allowed voters to voluntarily include their Aadhaar numbers in the voter list. Over 7.6 million voters in Gujarat have taken advantage of this feature. The process of issuing new and updated voter identification cards (EPIC) is currently underway. Forms must be filled out to update voter details or to register new voters.
The Election Commission aims to ensure that every eligible voter participates in the electoral process. They want to increase voter turnout in the upcoming elections. Various government and non-government organizations are working together to achieve this goal.
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