Pune district gets over 1.17 lakh voter list revision applications across 21 Assembly seats

The Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls ahead of the coming elections is under way in Pune district. According to the district election branch, more than 1.17 lakh applications have been submitted so far across the district's 21 Assembly constituencies.

The applications include requests for registration of new voters, corrections to existing entries and deletion of names from the voter list. In all, 1,17,818 applications have been received. Of these, 83,514 are for registration of new voters. A total of 32,880 applications seek corrections to voters' details, while 1,424 are for deletion of names.

The revision was begun following directions from the Election Commission of India. Its aim is that eligible new voters are added to the list, that the details of those who have moved elsewhere are updated, and that only eligible voters remain on the electoral roll.

Several constituencies have shown a good response. Hadapsar recorded the most, with 10,506 applications, while Shirur received 10,381. Bhor received 9,396 and Vadgaon Sheri 9,073. Chinchwad received 8,434 and Khed-Alandi 8,113.

Constituencies such as Shirur and Hadapsar see keen political contests, so political parties are likely to keep a close watch on the updating of the electoral roll. New registrations and corrections to existing records could help ensure that eligible voters' names are correctly entered in the final list.

In Shivajinagar, on the other hand, only 3,441 applications have come in so far, far fewer than in many other constituencies of the district. It is an important city seat and has a large number of educational institutions.

Kasba Peth is also counted among the urban seats where comparatively fewer applications have been received. This has raised questions about public participation in the revision of the electoral roll. The low number of applications in urban areas may draw the attention of political parties preparing for the coming electoral contests.

The district election branch is continuing the updating work to make voter records more accurate ahead of the coming elections.