An estimated six lakh new voters in the age group of 18-19 years would exercise their franchise for the first time in Odisha during the upcoming election to lok Sabha and State Assembly, said State Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Mona Sharma here on Wednesday.
Addressing a Press conference ahead of the National Voters’ Day on January 25, she said as many as 15 lakh voters have been added to the revised electoral roll in the State after the revision of photo electoral rolls twice. In the final 2014 revised electoral roll published on January 15, a total of 2,88,80,850 electors are enrolled, out of which 2,78,92,935 voters, almost 96.58 per cent, are photo electors.
Stating that while about six lakh new voters are added to the list during the revision of electoral rolls in July last, Sharma said that as many as 8,84,634 voters were added to the list during the revision of the list undertaken between October 28, 2013 and January 15 this year. She said that out of the six lakh new voters added to the list in the first phase, as many as two lakh are in the age group of 18 to 19, and during the second revision 3.38 lakh voters in the same age group figured in the voters’ list.
The CEO said efforts are on to make the list 100 per cent. During the second revision, the names of 4,08,686 voters --1,96,514 males and 2,12,164 females and eight others -- were deleted from the list. The electors were deleted after they were found either dead, shifted or their names repeated. She said the new voters would be given coloured Electors Photo Identity Card (EPIC) on the National Voters’ Day to be celebrated on January 25 at the booth, district and State-levels.
The Election Commission of India is organising quiz and slogan writing, poster making and Rangoli competitions to popularise electoral participation and advance voters education, she said. The theme of this year’s is ‘General Elections 2014’ with a sub-theme ‘Ethical voting’. A voter’s pledge would be taken on the National Voters’ Day by citizens present at a function to be organised at various levels.
The CEO said a badge with the slogan ‘Proud to be a voter - ready to vote’ would be distributed to the newly-registered electors during the felicitation ceremony along with their EPICs. A photo exhibition on the theme ‘Women’s participation in the electoral process’ will be held at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar for participation of all voters in the elections.
Stating that there is a scope for the new, left-out voters and voters with erroneous voter ID to be given a chance to enter their names in the 2014 electoral roll, Sharma said the willing citizens can avail the chance till February 10. Besides, she urged the voters to verify the new electoral rolls to ascertain whether their names have figured in the list and to take the assistance of booth level officials to insert their names and ensure their places of voting.