3.82 lakh Raigad voters get fresh verification notices after SIR

Alibag: After the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, the election department has served fresh verification notices on 3,82,831 voters in Raigad district. They include people whose names already appear on the draft roll, and many are scrambling to gather the documents and proof they have been asked for.

Panvel constituency accounts for the most, with 1,50,424 notices. Uran has 58,698, Alibag 42,741, Mahad 42,433, Karjat-Khalapur 33,294, Pen 30,381 and Shrivardhan 24,860.

The reasons given include an age gap between father and children that looks implausible, linkage to the 2002 electoral roll that was not done properly or may be wrong, and changes in the names of married women. Voters have been told to appear before assistant election officers with the required proof on a set day and time.

Raigad had 25,33,739 voters before the SIR. After 5,84,118 names were deleted in the exercise, 19,49,341 remained, and notices to more than 3.8 lakh of them have caused resentment.

Source: Loksatta