Voter registration drive elicits good response in Kolar

The staff deputed for enrolment of names in the voters’ list have a Herculean task before them. More than 43,000 applications have been received seeking to include names in the electoral roll.

The election section of the tahsildar’s office in all the taluks are compelled to work round the clock in view of the gargantuan task before them. Scrutiny of the applications and feeding data into the computers are in progress. Applications were being received from January 16 for inclusion of names in the voters’ list and April 7 was the last date.

As many as 43,496 applications have been received across the district till now.
  More applications have been filed in Kolar and Bangarpet taluks. While 13,136 applications have been received in Kolar while 8,538 applications have been received in Bangarpet taluk.

An official involved in the task said they worked till 10 pm on Sunday, the last date to receive applications. He said it is mandatory to enter all the data in the computers which may take some days.

The village accountants have been given the responsibility of scrutinising the applications and conducting sport inspections. They will have to verify whether documents substantiating the age and address of the applicant has been furnished or not.

Applications with incomplete details or those not accompanied with relevant documents will be rejected. In the next step, the valid applications will be considered and spot inspection will be conducted.

The  entire task will have to be completed with a fixed time frame. Applications were received at tahsildar’s office on Monday too. An official at the Kolar tahsildar office said the information on the number of applications received has been communicated to the Election Commission on Sunday. The scrutiny of the applications will be completed before April 14 and a final list will be published on April 17.

The heavy rush for enrolment has deprived the space for the control room set up to monitor compliance with election model code of conduct. The control room, which functions round-the-clock was allotted a room in the tahsildar’s office.

However, the room is occupied by the staff scrutinising the applications seeking enrolment in voters’ list. Consequently, the staff attached to the control room have to function from the room of the Kolar returning officer, Dr Venkatesha Murthy.
The equipment required for receiving complaints - fax machine, telephone etc are in another room, and the staff, for the present, are functioning with a complaint register. The control room has not received any complaints till now.