Mumbai: In preparation for the state assembly elections, and following the directives of the Election Commission of India, an electoral roll revision program is currently underway in the state. Under this program the eligible new voters can register, and existing voters will get the opportunity to make changes, corrections, and updates to their details in the electoral roll until August 20.
Additionally, voters have the opportunity to link their mobile numbers with their names in the voter list. District Election Officer and Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani has urged political parties to actively share information about this program with the public, to enhance voter registration and, consequently, improve voter turnout.
Gagrani held a review meeting with representatives from various political parties in civic headquarters on Friday. The meeting was also attended by additional district election (ADE) officer and additional municipal commissioner Dr. Amit Saini and Abhijit Bangar, ADE and Mumbai city district collector Sanjay Yadav, ADE and Mumbai suburban district collector Rajendra Kshirsagar and joint commissioner of Central Purchase department Vijay Balamvar.
Gagrani urged the representatives of political parties to support the efforts of the authorities, ensuring that they reach as many voters as possible and thereby increase voter turnout. The electoral roll revision program will be conducted until August 20, while the final electoral roll is scheduled to be published on August 30. During the meeting, information was also provided about the processes involved, including the registration of new voters and linking mobile numbers with voter names.
Increase in polling stations…
Following insights from the Lok Sabha elections, the structure of polling stations in Mumbai has been refined to improve efficiency. Accordingly, updated voter lists have been provided to political parties to support this process.
Consequently, the average number of voters per polling station, which was previously around 1,500, is now projected to range between 1,000 and 1,200. This change will increase the number of polling stations, thereby enhancing voter turnout and expediting the voting process, believes the official.
“Political parties are requested to actively assist in spreading information about these polling stations to the public. Additionally, areas that previously had a high density of polling stations have been reorganized to ensure greater efficiency. By taking into account the needs of cooperative housing societies and slum areas, a balanced approach to voter distribution and polling station locations has been implemented. This restructuring is expected to boost participation rates in the voting process,” stated Yadav.
Meanwhile, a public awareness campaign “Know Your Polling Station” will be launched to ensure that information about polling stations reaches citizens effectively. For online applications, citizens can visit the website www.voters.eci.gov.in or use the Voter Helpline mobile app. After logging in, select option 8, “Correction of Entries in Electoral Roll,” the citizens can find an option to link their mobile number with their name.
