As the officers instruct subordinates to focus on names of voters missing from the lists, the drama related to the Assembly elections has thrown up doubts about a web of fake franchisees.

The number of applicants for registration in the lists and for review of their names in the lists is growing virtually irrepressibly. The increasing number of citizens in the queue outside the offices concerned has given rise to suspicions on the authenticity of the voters themselves.

In response, the Deputy Commissioner and District Returning Officer D S Vishwanath has instructed the registration officers to closely inspect the applications submitted.
“Reject applications that are not supported by proper and required documents,” he added.

Sudden hike

Applicants for registration of their names in the voters’ list should submit Form 6.
“The number of applicants with Form 6 were far lesser in number before the declaration of the Assembly election date. Now, there is a sudden increase in the number of such applicants. We are getting hundreds of applications every day, which is a suspicions development. The question naturally rises on where the franchisees had been, all this while,” said a government staff member.

“Also, the applicants are required to submit several documents mandatorily, along with the Form 6. But, it is difficult to review the applications to check if they have submitted the documents, if they have provided all required information, before adding their names to the voters’ list,” said the staff member.

Closer look

The Deputy Commissioner has instructed all assistant voters’ registration officers, booth-level officer and taluk election staff to take care about fake inclusions in the voters’ list.

The registration work is going on with greater care and caution than before, following the Deputy Commissioner’s instructions.

In many cases, registration officers from all levels have been forced to keep a keen eye to catch such fake applicants and false, unsupported applications.

‘Wholesale’ unacceptable

While the voters have been instructed to provide an entire set of information about themselves in the application, the officers, on the other hand, have been instructed not to receive applications in huge sets at one go.

“Action will be taken under Schedules 31 and 32 of the Representation of People Act against officers who fail to follow the rules related to registration of voters’ names in the lists,” warned the deputy commissioner.

“All appointed officers have the responsibility of ensuring the registration goes on unhindered but also without complaints of any kind,” added Vishwanath.

‘Don’t deny right to eligible voters’

Every election throws up cases of webs of fake franchisees. But, amidst all the strict care that the officers concerned take to ensure the applicants are not false, let eligible voters not be deprived of their right to franchise, said many applicants.

“A polling-booth officer was handed a Form 6 last November at PC Layout. When asked about it, I got no information anywhere. I had submitted all necessary documents, but the application could not be detected in any office. I was therefore deprived of a chance to vote in the recent municipal elections,” complained a residents of the Layout, adding that the upcoming polls has required such applicants to go through the entire process all over again.

“There are several instances of extreme differences in treatment of the applicants.

There are citizens whose applications are accepted without much ado, while there are also others who have to struggle to get their voters’ id,” said another voter, requesting the authorities concerned to ensure such problems are solved.