10.27 lakh names cut from Nashik draft electoral roll; few voters turn up at camps

Voters whose names have been deleted from the draft electoral roll of Nashik district have been given a chance to have them restored by submitting proof. Despite this, most voters appear indifferent. The second phase of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) is under way in the district, and the administration faces a major difficulty in this phase.

Notices have been sent to voters whose names were deleted, and special camps have also been held. Even so, voters are not responding. The booth level officers (BLOs) are left wondering how to complete the work.

Across the district's 15 Assembly constituencies, a total of 10.27 lakh voters' names have been removed from the draft roll for various reasons, including migration, death and duplicate registration. However, the names of many of these voters cannot be removed permanently from the electoral roll without examining their objections or proof. For this reason, the Election Commission has given these voters a chance to be included in the list again by submitting the necessary proof.

For the past month, the district administration has been holding special camps by constituency and polling station. BLOs have been ordered to be present at polling stations on Saturdays and Sundays. There they have to register new voters, correct addresses or names, and verify the documents of voters who have received notices. The last date for submitting the proof required to have names restored is October 12.

In reality, very few people are turning up at the camps. Not many voters came to the camp held in the city on Saturday either. BLOs have said that voters do not respond even after repeated phone calls and home visits. On the other hand, they have been given strict instructions that no eligible voter should be deprived of the right to vote.

The camps have also given eligible young people who turn 18 on or before October 1, 2026 a chance to register as voters. According to figures received so far, 65,000 new voters have completed registration by filling Form 6. This number is likely to rise further.